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| << 1 King 22 | |
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For New King James text and comment, click here.
II Kings 1-4 Listen 
Clumsy Ahaziah looks for a positive prophetic word (II Kings 1)
1 Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab.
2 And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease.
3 But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron?
4 Now therefore thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed.
5 And when the messengers turned back unto him, he said unto them, Why are ye now turned back?
6 And they said unto him, There came a man up to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that thou sendest to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.
7 And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to meet you, and told you these words?
8 And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.
9 Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down.
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.
11 Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly.
12 And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
13 And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight.
14 Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight.
15 And the angel of the LORD said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king.
16 And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron, is it not because there is no God in Israel to enquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.
17 So he died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram reigned in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; because he had no son.
18 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
We get our bearings here in verse 1, "Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab." Of course, Ahab's son, Ahaziah of the Northern Kingdom, is evil also. His reign began back in I Kings 22:51 (see notes). King Ahaziah falls through the lattice in his upper chamber - OUCH! Bedridden, he sends messengers to Ekron (a Philistine town) to inquire of their god, Baalzebub, regarding his recovery. Ahaziah's mama (Jezebel) had kept 850 Baal/Asherah prophets on hand, but Elijah had them all executed. Now, apparently, the closest Pagan-Prophet-R-Us shop is 40 miles away under the protection of the Philistines. This "Baalzebub" was the Philistine "sun god," the name itself meaning "The Lord of the Flies," apparently a name associated with the flies that swarm beginning in the spring in Palestine. Theoretically, Baalzebub could deliver them from these flies. It is generally believed that the "Beelzebub" of the Gospels, regarded by the Jews to be the prince of the devils, is a reference to this same Philistine god.
Elijah gets the call from God to intercept Ahaziah's messengers who are headed to Ekron and tell them God's word on the issue: "You're gonna die!" Whoops - forgot to get the name of that bad-news prophet! After King Ahaziah's query of them regarding the prophet's signature look ("an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins"), he realizes it was Elijah. Ahaziah sends a captain and 50 men to bring Elijah back for a second opinion. The bossy captain comes upon Elijah sitting on a hill and commands him to come down. Swoosh! Fire burns the 51 men up at Elijah's command; Ahaziah sends another bossy captain and 50 more. Swoosh again! Then, 51 more, but with a captain that wasn't so bossy this time - yea...even quite humble before Elijah. God puts his stamp of approval on the trip to Samaria, and Elijah returns with them to Ahaziah to give his prophetic word (same message) first hand in verse 16: "Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron, is it not because there is no God in Israel to enquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die." And then...he does. So...Ahaziah died because he rejected the one true God and sought after Baalzebub instead.
A Summary of King #8 from 853 to 852 B.C. over Israel: Ahaziah |
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| References | The Good | The Bad |
I Kings 22:51-53 |
Not specified - he was bad | I Kings 22:52 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin: |
Prophet of God swept up in tornado (II Kings 2:1-18)
1 And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.
2 And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.
3 And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.
4 And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.
5 And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.
6 And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.
7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.
8 And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.
9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.
10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.
11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.
13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.
15 And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
16 And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the LORD hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send.
17 And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not.
18 And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not?
Elijah and Elisha (his understudy) are walking - first to Gilgal when Elijah suggests that he go on to Bethel by himself, a trip of about 13 miles (4 hours or so by foot). Elisha is determined to go with him to Bethel where they meet the Bethel chapter of the sons of prophets who give Elisha some big news: Elijah is making the big trip today. Elijah then tells Elisha he's now headed for Jericho, back eastward close to where Gilgal was located - another 4-hour trip. Elisha is determined to go too, where they meet the Jericho chapter of the sons of prophets who spout the same news to Elisha as the first group regarding Elijah's big departure. Elisha is then informed by Elijah that he is going to the Jordan, about an hour away by foot - Elisha too.
Elisha makes a request of Elijah, "Give me a double portion of that which you have from God!" Elijah replies that if Elisha sees Elijah when he is supernaturally taken up, he'll get his double portion. Then, shortly afterward, the big event takes place; Elijah parts the Jordan with his cloak and is caught up to heaven in a tornado with chariots of fire in it; it all takes place right before Elisha's eyes. Elisha was prepared though - asks Elijah for a double portion of what Elijah had before his departure and gets it.
So, with Elijah gone now, how does Elisha get back across the Jordan? He'll just test drive his new double-portion blessing and part it himself using Elijah's cloak. Elisha...you're the man now...God's main prophet with a double portion of that which Elijah had! The Gilgal/Jericho chapter of the sons of prophets, after seeing the whole thing, insist that they must look for Elijah just in case God had decided to deposit him upon a mountain or some such. Even though Elisha says there is no point in doing so; they look for Elijah for 3 days to no avail; he's gone.
Don't make fun of bald guys when Elisha's around (II Kings 2:19-25)
19 And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren.
20 And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him.
21 And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land.
22 So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake.
23 And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.
24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.
25 And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.
Elisha's first act is to fix the water supply in Jericho - nothing a little salt and a big miracle won't fix. Bingo! It's done. As Elisha is walking along the road, a pack of unruly children start calling him names - well...one name in particular, "you baldhead." Kids will be kids, right? Not these kids...not after today. Elisha summons two bears who come and tear the kids limb to limb. Apparently it's not nice to call a prophet names. By the way, baldness was undesirable back then (cf. Isaiah 3:17, 24 - see notes). Just a conjecture, but you will recall that Elijah was quite a hairy man according to II Kings 1:8 (see above). Now, here comes Elijah's replacement, a bald man - Elisha. Perhaps that was an amusing contrast to these kids who seemed to lack the proper respect that should have been extended to a prophet of God. Obviously, Elijah's prophetic powers had nothing to do with his hair.
So...how young were these "little children" of verse 23. The Hebrew word translated "little children" in the KJV does not necessarily refer to the age bracket that naturally pops into our minds when that description is given. The Hebrew word for "children" there is "naw-oor´" which is used 239 times in the Old Testament; in many of those references it is translated as a "young man." However, the adjective "little" is added on the basis of the translation of the Hebrew word "kaw-tawn´," a word that further verifies the relative youth of these antagonists. Based upon the usage of these Hebrew words elsewhere in the Old Testament, it may be safely deducted that these were probably teenagers who taunted Elisha.
Those pesky Moabites rebel against Israel (II Kings 3)
1 Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.
2 And he wrought evil in the sight of the LORD; but not like his father, and like his mother: for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made.
3 Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.
4 And Mesha king of Moab was a sheepmaster, and rendered unto the king of Israel an hundred thousand lambs, and an hundred thousand rams, with the wool.
5 But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
6 And king Jehoram went out of Samaria the same time, and numbered all Israel.
7 And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses.
8 And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way through the wilderness of Edom.
9 So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they fetched a compass of seven days’ journey: and there was no water for the host, and for the cattle that followed them.
10 And the king of Israel said, Alas! that the LORD hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab!
11 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD, that we may enquire of the LORD by him? And one of the king of Israel’s servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah.
12 And Jehoshaphat said, The word of the LORD is with him. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.
13 And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay: for the LORD hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab.
14 And Elisha said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee.
15 But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him.
16 And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches.
17 For thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts.
18 And this is but a light thing in the sight of the LORD: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand.
19 And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.
20 And it came to pass in the morning, when the meat offering was offered, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.
21 And when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight against them, they gathered all that were able to put on armour, and upward, and stood in the border.
22 And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood:
23 And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.
24 And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them: but they went forward smiting the Moabites, even in their country.
25 And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good trees: only in Kirharaseth left they the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.
26 And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too sore for him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew swords, to break through even unto the king of Edom: but they could not.
27 Then he took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall. And there was great indignation against Israel: and they departed from him, and returned to their own land.
Ahaziah's brother, Jehoram, is now King of Israel (for twelve years) and Jehoshaphat is King of Judah. As son of Ahab and Jezebel, Jehoram is also evil before God (idol worshipper just like Jeroboam), but not as bad as his parents because of his rejection of Baal.
A Summary of King #9 from 852 to 841 B.C. over Israel: Jehoram |
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| References | The Good | The Bad |
II Kings 3 |
Not specified - he was evil, but not as evil as his parents, Ahab and Jezebel. | II Kings 3:2 And he wrought evil in the sight of the LORD; but not like his father, and like his mother: for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made. |
Jehoshaphat was a good King of Judah. Jehoram's dad, Ahab, had the Moabites paying tribute to Israel, but the Moabite king decides to stop paying after Ahab's death. Jehoram gets Jehoshaphat to go with him to put down the Moabite rebellion. Jehoshaphat and Ahab had a mismatched relationship with one another. I say mismatched because Ahab was extremely wicked, and Jehoshaphat served the one true God of Judah, Jehovah (aka Yahweh). Interestingly enough, Jehoshaphat's son, Jehoram (and successor) was married to Ahab and Jezebel's evil daughter, Athaliah. Those must have been some action-packed family reunions.
Jehoram seems to be the navigator and chooses a route that he feels will give them a battle advantage when they finally meet the Moabites. His strategy was to march through Judah around the southern edge of the Dead Sea and approach Moab from the south. As they are travelling through the land occupied by the Edomites (east of Judah), they pick up the King of the Edomites along the way. One problem though - as they're headed through the wilderness of Edom on their way to Moab, they run out of water. They call for Elisha the prophet who miraculously provides water for the troops and animals.
One more thing, Elisha reluctantly prophesies victory over the Moabites. He would have declined to offer the prophecy because of Jehorams's pagan worship, but does so because of Jehoshaphat's commitment to the one true God. The Moabites mistakenly think that some redness in the water they saw (it resembled blood) must mean that the three kings had turned on each other. These less-than-smart generals lead the Moabites to do a preemptive strike and are defeated. Subsequently, they flee, and just as Elisha had prophesied, the three kings go into all the Moabite cities and put down the rebellion - except for one, that is. The Moabite king is holed up in Kirhareseth. He puts up a fight against the combined forces, but he's not successful. In a last-ditch effort to save himself, the Moabite King takes his oldest son and heir to the throne and sacrifices him on the wall of the city - a burnt offering. No father-of-the-year award for him. At this disgusting sight, the three kings turn and go home.
It's multiplying oil (II Kings 4:1-7)
1 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.
5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.
6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.
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.
The widow is poor. She had been the wife of one of the "sons of prophets."So, what did women do back then if one's husband died, leaving her in debt? Many were forced to sell their kids into slavery to pay the debt - no bankruptcy court. Elisha comes to the rescue and turns her into an oil producer using borrowed pots. Sale of the oil will cover the debt, leaving enough to sustain her family afterwards.
The barren woman gives birth to a son (II Kings 4:8-37)
8 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.
13 And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people.
14 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.
17 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.
23 And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? it is neither new moon, nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well.
24 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.
27 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.
31 And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he went again to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked.
32 And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed.
33 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.
37 Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out.
What gave fulfillment to a Semite woman? It was childbirth - especially a male child. That was a woman's retirement program - sometimes representing the entire content of her financial portfolio. Well, this well-to-do Shunammite (from Shunem, not far from the Sea of Galilee) woman is barren and her husband is old. She is so hospitable to Elisha, he enables her to miraculously bear a son. When she gets the prophetic news regarding the future birth of a son, her answer to Elisha is amusing, "do not lie unto thine handmaid" (verse 16).
After the appropriate time, she does bare a son. All is well, right? Wrong! In the process of growing, the child dies of a head injury after a nasty fall. She lays her dead son upon the bed where Elisha stayed when he was in town. Then she goes to find Elisha to see if there's any kind of prophetic warranty on her son. Upon her arrival, she makes an interesting remark in verse 28. She reminds him of her initial reaction when Elisha told her she would bear a son when she says, "Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, Do not deceive me?" Now that's a woman who gets right to the point! Elisha's first attempt at the boy's resurrection through the efforts of his surrogate, Gehazi (using Elisha's staff), fails. Persevering, Elisha moves into plan B by personally lying face down upon the dead boy; it works; the boy awakens into a sneezing fit - seven in a row.
...and he cooks too, what a prophet! (II Kings 4:38-44)
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 seethe 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 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 in the pot.
42 And there came a man from Baalshalisha, 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.
Elisha is visiting with the Gilgal chapter of the sons of the prophets. In preparing a meal for the prophets, one of the servants goes out to find some additional ingredients. "This looks good! Let's pick some of these poison wild gourds for the stew." Never let this man cook again! He could have killed everybody. But it's nothing a little of Elisha's special-recipe flour can't fix. Elisha throws it in, and the stew is restored; everybody eats up. Oh, and don't worry about running out of bread for 100 guests; Elisha knows how to stretch a meal; he'll get 'em fed.
Copyright 2003-2011 by Wayne D. Turner