Four Types of Hearts

Four Types of Hearts

2 Kings 6:8–8:29

Main Idea: As the Elisha narrative continues, the writer describes four types of responses to God’s Word.

The following section of Kings contains some fascinating, tragic, and somewhat comedic stories. You were probably not told about these stories in Sunday school! And I doubt anyone ever used the flannel graph to teach you about people eating donkeys’ heads.

Perhaps you have heard skeptics say things like, “You Christians only teach the feel-good stories and easy verses. If you really believe the Bible is God’s Word, then why don’t you teach on the stories about cannibalism?” Maybe they have asked, “Why does no one teach the ‘bloodthirsty stories’ in the Bible—like when Joram’s assistant was killed violently because of unbelief, or the story of Jehu’s bloody purge?” Such questions exist today.

We’re attempting to deal with such stories in our exposition of Kings. We’re dealing with lesser-known (and sometimes graphic) stories and trying to make sense of them.

Many of the stories in Scripture are difficult to understand and stomach, but that doesn’t mean we need to avoid them or that we cannot make sense of them. All Scripture is God breathed and profitable (2 Tim 3:16), and even these puzzling stories are for our good (1 Cor 10:11). We simply need to try to understand them.

What exactly are we looking at? First, Elisha humiliates the Aramean (Syrian) raiders with superior wisdom, with blindness, and with kindness. Then an awful famine was so severe that people were eating children in desperation. Next, Elisha predicts the end of a famine and the death of an assassin. Within this larger story we find an encouraging tale of how God used four lepers to tell the good news of deliverance to famished Israel. After this story the context shifts from national events to God’s faithfulness to the same Shunammite woman we read about previously. Finally, the overarching story of Kings is carried on at the end of chapter 8. We read of Hazael rising to power by killing the Aramean king. We witness the decline of Judah and sense the coming end of Ahab’s house.

How might we tie all these stories together? Some of the main questions we should ask in studying a passage of Scripture are: What does this passage teach me about God? What is God doing in this passage? God is protecting His people (8:8-23); extending mercy to the Arameans (8:20-23); speaking His word, which involves predicting and controlling the future and interpreting the events of history (7:1,16-17; 8:10,13); using the unclean and unnamed people to declare His salvation (7:3-10); defending the needy (8:1-6); and executing justice (8:7-15).

Another question to ask is, What does this passage teach me about humanity? Here’s where we can really sink our teeth into personal application. We have examples of people responding differently to God’s revelation. God reveals Himself in word and deed in the ways noted above, yet not everyone responds in repentance and faith. Three individuals illustrate unbelieving hearts: the Aramean king (6:8-24), Israel’s king (6:25-33), and the Israelite messenger/captain/assassin/officer (7:1-20). We have one example of belief in the Shunammite woman (8:1-6). She responds to God’s grace and His word with a soft, obedient heart. We might include the four lepers as a positive example as well.

Let’s look at the four types of hearts displayed in these people (I’m indebted to Sinclair Ferguson, “2 Kings 7,” for the idea of these headings). As we look at them, we need to remember that we’re called to respond appropriately to God’s Word while we can. The day of grace will one day be replaced by the day of judgment.

The Rebellion of a Stubborn Heart

2 Kings 6:8-24

God displayed His grace to the Arameans (Syrians) in several ways, yet the Aramean king did not respond with faith in Yahweh. Instead Aram is warring with Israel again. Debate exists about who was king of Aram at this time (and there is debate about the chronology of this section). No name is given in verse 8, but verse 24 names Ben-hadad. Is this the same Ben-hadad? It’s possible, but it may also be Ben-hadad II. In either case the point remains. The Aramean king (or kings) had witnessed God’s grace yet refused to respond with repentance and faith in God.

How exactly did God extend grace to the king and the Arameans? First, God blessed them with success. Notice 5:1: “Naaman, commander of the army for the king of Aram, was a great man in his master’s sight and highly regarded because through him, the Lord had given victory to Aram.” Did you catch that? God gave them victory! This is an amazing statement of monotheism. Another nation, who worshiped other gods, is given victory—not by the power of their gods but by the power of Yahweh. God isn’t a small god who influences only one group of people. He rules His people, the nations, and the cosmos.

Sadly many are blessed by God but refuse to acknowledge Him as Lord and God. Every gift and success a person has comes from the hand of God, Maker of heaven and earth. In response to God’s revealing grace, Paul says people sinfully exchange the glory of the Creator for the created things. Because they intentionally suppress the truth revealed to them, they’re without excuse (Rom 1:18-25).

Second, God blessed them with salvation. In chapter 5 we read of the spectacular healing of Naaman, the Aramean commander. Naaman made the great confession of faith, “I know there’s no God in the whole world except in Israel” (5:15). He believed. He was humbled under the mighty hand of God. His story demonstrates that God saves people from every tribe and tongue if they will believe.

Despite seeing Naaman’s obvious transformation, the king of Aram doesn’t seek Yahweh for himself. Perhaps the reason they are at war now is because of Naaman’s transformation. Were they provoked to anger by his testimony praising “Israel’s God”? We don’t read of Naaman again. Maybe he was killed. I imagine he was at least removed as commander.

Third, God blessed them by crushing their pride. In this passage we find three humiliating acts that should have made the king and the Arameans recognize the supremacy of God and bow to Him. But that doesn’t happen. After these three humiliating acts, Ben-hadad besieges Samaria (v. 24). The war intensifies. He never trusts in God but rebels against God because his heart is stony. We then read of his sad death in chapter 7. God graciously humbled this king in various ways; He dealt with him, but the king hardened his heart against Him.

Do you know that God humiliates people in order that they may respond to Him in faith? Jesus humbled the disciples when He told them to cast their net on the other side of their boat for a catch (Luke 5). Peter responded in awe, saying, “Go away from me, because I’m a sinful man, Lord!” (5:8). When Jesus calmed the storm, the disciples said, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey Him!” (Mark 4:41). God humbles us that He might save us and use us for His glory. However, some respond negatively. The Aramean king goes the way of Pharaoh and Judas instead of the way of Naaman.

How did God humble the Aramean king? God humbled the king by frustrating his plans. In verses 8-14 we read the humorous ordeal of Elisha’s telling the king of Israel the plans of Aram’s king. (Notice the grace extended to Israel’s king.) The Aramean king would make his attack plans, but then somehow Israel would find out about it and avoid defeat. This happened more than once. The Aramean king thinks he has a leak in his administration. He asks, “Tell me, which one of us is for the king of Israel?” (v. 11). His aide tells him that he doesn’t have a traitor on his team; instead, it’s Elisha, who “tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in your bedroom” (v. 12). He accuses the prophet of being the proverbial “fly on the wall.” From many miles away God granted Elisha the secret counsels of the Aramean king and was thereby protecting His people. The psalmist said it well: “The Lord frustrates the counsel of the nations; He thwarts the plans of the peoples” (Ps 33:10; see also Ps 44:21).

In this frustration we see that God is dealing with this foreign king. Would this have shaken you? How would you have responded? Sadly, instead of seeking Elisha to learn more, the king grows angry. He says, “Go and see where he is, so I can send men to capture him” (v. 13). His servants obey. They go to Dothan, where Elisha was staying, and surround the city at night in order to capture the prophet. One wonders why he didn’t assume Elisha would know of this plan also. Is pride not the reason for this action also?

God humbled the king by protecting His prophet and humiliating the Arameans. God protects His people. The Aramean army frightens Elisha’s assistant the next morning, and he cries out, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?” (v. 15). Elisha replies, “Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us outnumber those who are with them” (v. 16). Elisha sees what the assistant cannot see. The assistant must have thought, “Just how do we have more soldiers than that massive army?” Elisha then prays, “Lord, please open his eyes and let him see.” God opened the eyes of the lad and he saw “horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (v. 17). The servant now sees and embraces the reality of God’s unseen protection.

God opens eyes for people to see His grace (Ps 146:8). He is also the God who gives unseen protection to His people (cf. Ps 91:9-11). Though Jesus didn’t use God’s unseen protection in Gethsemane, He was aware of it. He rebuked Peter, saying, “Or do you think that I cannot call on My Father, and He will provide Me at once with more than 12 legions of angels?” (Matt 26:53). There were 72,000 spirits ready to fight on His behalf, but they didn’t act because the cross was God’s will. Jesus knew and lived under the unseen protection demonstrated here in 2 Kings 6:8-23 (Davis, 2 Kings, 115).

God is a refuge for His people. He delivers His people (Pss 50:15; 107). Elisha tells his servant, “Don’t be afraid.” We need to hear this. God protects His people. We can say with the psalmists:

The Lord is my light and my salvation—

whom should I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life—

of whom should I be afraid? . . .

Though an army deploys against me,

my heart is not afraid;

though a war breaks out against me,

still I am confident. (Ps 27:1,3)

The one who lives under the protection of the Most High

dwells in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say to the Lord,

“My refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.” (Ps 91:1-2)

Jerusalem—the mountains surround her.

And the Lord surrounds His people,

both now and forever. (Ps 125:2)

Indeed, Christian history is filled with stories of God delivering His servants in remarkable ways. It isn’t always His will to protect us in this life—the blood of martyrs reminds us of this—but God is always with and for His people. Because of this truth, we can live in peace, not in fear. Are you living in fear because of finances, illness, or relocation? Find refuge in God’s promises and His presence.

Next we read of how God humiliated the Arameans. Elisha prays next for God to deal with the enemy’s sight. He says, “Please strike this nation with blindness” (v. 18, probably not total absence of sight but visual confusion; cf. Gen 19:11). God strikes them with blindness according to Elisha’s prayer. Elisha assures them that they will find the person they are looking for (which is himself!). Then he takes them on a 10-mile hike to Samaria.

Elisha prays again in verse 20, this time for Yahweh to open their eyes once they all reach Samaria, and the Lord does so. When the king of Israel (still King Joram, it seems) sees them, he is ready to attack. But instead of a striking them down, Elisha instructs the king to sit them down, feed them, and send them home. He illustrates Romans 12:18-21 and Matthew 5:43-45. So they prepared a “great feast” for their enemies (v. 23). They didn’t kill them with the sword but with kindness.

What an embarrassment this must have been to the king! One can only imagine what he thought when they returned. “Did you slay Elisha?” They would have to answer, “No, he fed us a great meal! And we still have some pecan pie in our pockets.”

God was slaying the pride of Ben-hadad. He was showing him of the folly of opposing the real King of all the earth. Psalm 2 captures this idea. God laughs at the earthly kings who make plots against him (vv. 1-4). The psalmist urges the reader to

Serve the Lord with reverential awe

and rejoice with trembling.

Pay homage to the Son or He will be angry

and you will perish in your rebellion,

for His anger may ignite at any moment.

All those who take refuge in Him are happy. (Ps 2:11-12)

One can either bow the knee to Jesus and serve the true and living God or perish in rebellion.

Finally, God humbles him by extending mercy to him. In this humiliation there is also hope. What kind of God would treat His enemies like this? Only Yahweh. The God who protected Elisha and His servant and Israel would have protected Aram also if they had sought refuge in Him. The shelter of God is available to all who will turn to Christ. As Davis says, one could sing Hart’s old hymn like this:

Come, ye Syrians, poor and wretched,

Weak and wounded, sick and sore.

Jesus, ready, stands to save you;

Full of pity, joined with power.

He is able, He is able;

He is willing; doubt no more. (2 Kings, 117)

God gave Ben-hadad living examples of His supremacy, power, and transforming grace. Despite the military victories, Naaman’s transformation, and these humiliations, the king didn’t bow to Yahweh.

How have you responded to God’s gracious revelation of Himself? How does God humble us today? He gives us His Word (Isa 66:2). He reveals His glory in creation. Look at a little baby or a majestic sunset over the ocean. Does that not move you? He also changes people’s lives, which should make us glorify God (Gal 1:23). Additionally, sometimes we’re humbled under the weight of a crisis, a crisis that should make us cry out to God—perhaps death, illness, calamity, or the discovery that life is meaningless apart from God. Sometimes the consequences of living in ongoing sin humble people, which leads them to bow to God in repentance (Ps 107:12). Finally, God may also use the kindness of other Christians to humble the unbeliever. These are all acts of grace intended to move us to faith. Don’t sin away the day of grace. Respond to God while you can.

The Impatience of a Superficial Heart

2 Kings 6:25-33

The next type of heart is illustrated in the life of Israel’s King Joram. As we analyze his life, we learn to beware of the impatience of a superficial heart.

Famine (vv. 24-29)

The context of the story involves war and famine, which probably is the result of Israel’s unfaithfulness. Aram (Syria) had raided Israel (5:2) and sought to capture Elisha in 6:8-23, but now things escalate: they execute a full invasion on Israel. Because their siege lasted for an extended period of time, the conditions were terrible in Israel. This famine reminds us of what we may see on the news or what we may have personally observed in some impoverished countries. The poor are poorer, and the rich are reduced to emptiness. It was so bad that people were selling donkey’s heads and dove’s dung (pigeon manure) for ridiculously high prices. We can only imagine the awful situation. People were eating scraps and viscera and using dung either as fuel or possibly for food. But this seems to be what the rich are reduced to eating. The poor are so driven to desperation that some are eating human beings.

In this fallen world such awful things happen. This story reminds me of the Great Famine in 1932–33 in Ukraine. It too was a man-made famine. Stalin removed food by military force. An estimated three-million-plus people died as a result. Ukrainians called this Holodomor (“murder by hunger”). Some report how babies were eaten alive during the famine, and sometimes children would just disappear, but villagers knew what was happening (Eswine, Preaching to a Post-Everything World, 32).

In the midst of this sorry physical plight, the writer gives one story illustrating the sorry moral plight: a lady crying out to the king to administer justice. Like the story in 1 Kings 3, this story involves two ladies, two children, and the death of a child. Joram throws a shot at Yahweh, saying, “If the Lord doesn’t help you, where can I get help for you? From the threshing floor or the winepress?” (v. 27). He was saying (sarcastically) that he could do nothing since the normal food supply was exhausted (grain and wine) and that was God’s job not his. Nevertheless, he asks them, “What is the matter?” (v. 28). One of the ladies responds that they had agreed to consume each other’s sons. They would eat one (already dead?) child one day and eat the other son the next day. However, after eating the first son, the mother of the other son was accused of not keeping her agreement; she hid her son. Other ancient documents report similar situations during sieges, and elsewhere in Scripture we read of instances of cannibalism stemming from a long siege (e.g., Lam 2:20; 4:10; Ezek 5:10). This particular story isn’t only pitiful physically, but it’s also pitiful morally. The women accept the eating of a child as reasonable under the circumstances, but they are quibbling about the failure to keep an agreement.

Unfortunately, it had been a long time since Israel had been under a wise king who administered justice. Solomon demonstrated kingly wisdom in 1 Kings 3:16-28 as he sorted out a dispute between two ladies. Joram was no such king.

False Repentance (vv. 30-33)

In response the king is distressed. He apparently renders no verdict. In anguish he tears his clothes. When he does, everyone sees that he is wearing sackcloth, a symbol of repentance, underneath. His father Ahab wore sackcloth in “repentance” previously (1 Kgs 21:27). Elisha may have called Joram to repentance. Yahweh told Israel they would experience such curses if they were unfaithful to Him (Lev 26:27-29; Deut 28:52-57; Lam 2:20; 4:10). Thus, this is a story of divine judgment. It was right for the king to repent. However, Joram doesn’t have a real heart for repentance. He doesn’t patiently trust in and wait on God for deliverance. He acts like his mother, seeking to kill the prophet. He may have worn sackcloth, but it doesn’t cover up his unrepentant heart.

His impatience is clearly revealed in the next scene. God gave Elisha wisdom to know that Joram wanted to kill him. Before Joram’s assassin (or captain, 7:2) arrived, Elisha already told the elders about the king’s plan and told them to block him. The captain says, “This disaster is from the Lord. Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?” (v. 33; emphasis added). The unrepentant, impatient, superficial heart of Joram is exposed. Why wait on the Lord? Why trust in the Lord? Why seek Him any longer? Joram is turning from his only source of help.

Joram embraced a utilitarian view of religion: “I tried it for a little while, but it didn’t work.” He thinks politics will solve this problem instead. But how wrong he is (Ps 146:3-4). He doesn’t demonstrate the heart of a believer. This is the heart of a believer: “No one who waits for You will be disgraced” (Ps 25:3). “I waited patiently for the Lord, and He turned to me and heard my cry for help” (Ps 40:1). “Like a servant’s eyes on his master’s hand, like a servant girl’s eyes on her mistress’s hand, so our eyes are on the Lord our God until He shows us favor” (Ps 123:2; emphasis added). This song of ascent beautifully captures the soft, repentant heart of a believer:

Out of the depths I call to You, Yahweh!

Lord, listen to my voice;

let Your ears be attentive

to my cry for help.

Yahweh, if You considered sins,

Lord, who could stand?

But with You there is forgiveness,

so that You may be revered.

I wait for Yahweh; I wait

and put my hope in His word.

I wait for the Lord

more than watchmen for the morning—

more than watchmen for the morning.

Israel, put your hope in the Lord.

For there is faithful love with the Lord,

and with Him is redemption in abundance.

And He will redeem Israel

from all its sins. (Ps 130; emphasis added)

This is a soft, repentant heart—crying for forgiveness; waiting on God; hoping in God. My friend, beware of a superficial heart. Beware of having an outward show of religion but not having a truly repentant, worshiping heart on the inside. Jesus called out the Pharisees for such masquerades: “In the same way, on the outside you seem righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matt 23:28).

Have you felt that God has been working too slowly recently? Have you been tempted to doubt God’s Word because you have not seen Him remove a particular problem? Keep seeking Him and His Word, and wait on Him.

The Cynicism of a Skeptical Heart

2 Kings 7:1-20

Deliverance Promised (vv. 1-2)

Now we turn to our third illustration of how not to respond to God. Israel’s King Joram and his assassin illustrate an unbelieving, skeptical heart.

In the previous passage Joram sent his captain to assassinate Elisha. Astonishingly, Elisha actually proclaims good news of deliverance to the king. God promises some relief in 24 hours. Things would slowly improve. Six quarts of flour would still cost about one month’s wage. That was still outrageous. But relative relief was promised. Barley instead of dove’s dung is an improvement.

In response to the good news, the captain sarcastically says, “Look, even if the Lord were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen?” (v. 2). His cynicism expresses his skeptical, unbelieving heart. He wonders where this abundance of food will come from. It would take an exodus-like miracle. In his skepticism he mocks the prophet, which is to mock the Lord himself (see 2 Kgs 2:23-25). Elisha tells the mocker, “You will in fact see it with your own eyes, but you won’t eat any of it.” This is a word of judgment. The people will eat, but this unbelieving captain will not taste it; he will be killed. What this skeptic cannot fathom is precisely what God does. This is vintage Yahweh.

We often fail to believe predictions. My family just returned from the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Many years ago, before the Outer Banks were developed into what it is today, someone told Kimberly’s grandmother that she should purchase some land there. She responded, “Why would I want to pay $500 for a bucket of sand!?” Kimberly’s dad says, “She wasn’t a woman of great vision.”

Of course this prediction in Kings was much more important, and it was coming from a more reliable source. Elisha was God’s representative. He had a perfect track record. But the cynical skeptic is never satisfied.

What kind of faith does God require? He doesn’t tell us to believe just anything. He tells us to believe His promises. We are to believe promises like these:

The one who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live. (John 11:25)

The one who has the Son has life. (1 John 5:12)

No one will snatch [My sheep] out of My hand. (John 10:28)

I will raise [believers] up on the last day. (John 6:40)

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Rom 10:13)

Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus. (Rom 8:1)

God calls us to believe what He says, even though it may sound unlikely at times. But remember: God has a flawless record of faithfulness. Not one word has ever failed! The psalmist said, “God—His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is pure. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him” (Ps 18:30).

Deliverance Provided (vv. 3-7)

How would God deliver His people? Four men with a “skin disease,” traditionally called “lepers,” are sitting outside the city gate, unable to enter because of their condition (cf. Lev 13:45-46). These unnamed lepers use some logic. They realize that if they enter the city, then they will face death or famine. If they remain outside the gate, they will also die. If they head to the Arameans, they will probably be executed, but they may find refuge. The only glimmer of hope was found in deserting to the Arameans. They choose that option.

But when they get there, they find no Arameans. Notice how this happens. We read that the lepers “got up at twilight” to go to the Aramean camp (v. 5), but the Lord made the Arameans hear the sound of a great army (v. 6), so that they “fled at twilight” (v. 7; emphasis added). Who’s responsible for this mighty deliverance? God Himself. Salvation involves receiving what God has done. “Some take pride in chariots, and others in horses, but we take pride in the name of Yahweh our God” (Ps 20:7).

Deliverance Proclaimed (vv. 8-15)

As a result, the lepers find a treasure trove of food, silver, gold, and clothing. In tent after tent they find treasures. But then the lepers have a moral crisis. Their conscience provokes them as they say, “We’re not doing what is right. Today is a day of good news. If we are silent and wait until morning light, our sin will catch up with us. Let’s go tell the king’s household” (v. 9). Does this not sound like a missionary text? How can we keep the good news to ourselves? Evangelism has been described as one beggar telling another beggar where to find food. That’s the picture here. Off the finders of food go to the gatekeepers of the city and report the good news. People who know of God’s deliverance should proclaim it (Ps 40:9-10).

When the king hears the report, he doesn’t believe. He thinks it’s a trap. Though Elisha promised deliverance and though Elisha had never failed in his predictions, Joram still refuses to believe.

Are you believing the good news? Perhaps you think you could believe if you saw a miracle? That logic may make sense at one level. But Jesus said it isn’t true. In a parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus said,

They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them. . . . If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead. (Luke 16:29,31)

In other words, the problem isn’t insufficient reason to believe. You have something sufficient, called God’s Word. The book of Kings was in the “Prophets” category Jesus mentioned. God’s miracles and promises are contained here. In Scripture we read of the hero of the story, Jesus, crucified and risen, who says, “Believe.” The problem isn’t with a lack of proof but with a skeptical, unbelieving heart.

The lepers aren’t the only unnamed instruments of deliverance. One of the king’s servants proposes a reasonable solution. Take five men and check it out. The king sends them off on what he probably considered a suicide mission. However, they find the lepers’ story to be true and come back and report the good news to the king. We don’t know the names of these five men either.

God often uses nameless missionaries to bring salvation to the nations (1 Cor 1:26-29). We have greater news to pass on to the world than deliverance from any military invasion. We tell the world how death has been defeated and victory is ours through Christ.

Mercy and Judgment Experienced (vv. 16-20)

The people hear the news, and they are ready to go. They head off and plunder the camp of the Arameans. Elisha’s word comes to pass regarding the flour and barley. What about his word to the skeptical assassin? It comes true as well. The rushing mob “trampled him in the gateway” and he dies. It’s stated twice in case we miss it (vv. 17,20). It happened according to God’s word through Elisha, whom he previously mocked.

God takes unbelief seriously. Do you think you can look in unbelief at the evidences of God’s grace and not provoke Him? Think again. The author of Hebrews says it well: “Watch out, brothers, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the living God” (Heb 3:12). And later, “Make sure that you do not reject the One who speaks” (Heb 12:25). To mock God’s prophet was to mock God because he was speaking God’s word. This assassin’s death serves as a warning to everyone.

Because of our soft, tolerant culture, we don’t like to hear that God punishes those who reject Him. Even in a church culture tempted to believe that the only attribute of God is love, we ignore His holiness, truth, and wrath. But the fact remains, you will be judged if you don’t respond in faith to God’s Word. Jesus said that at the end of the age, angels will gather up evil people “and throw them into the blazing furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt 13:50). Paul told the Galatians, “Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap” (Gal 6:7). In Kings we see that God gives people opportunities to repent, but they refuse. They want God to leave them alone. They essentially get what they want.

The Obedience of a Soft Heart

2 Kings 8:1-6

Elisha was God’s special agent who brought salvation not only to Israel in general but also to individuals in Israel and other nations. One of those individuals was this Shunammite woman who showed him hospitality, as we noticed in 2 Kings 4:8-37.

Elisha’s Word (v. 1)

Elisha tells her that a seven-year famine is coming and that she should stay somewhere temporarily until it’s over. Provan tries to place the timing of this famine:

We are presumably to understand, therefore, that this warning cited here was given to the woman around the same time that Elisha restored her son to life. We should distinguish this general state of famine from the famine in the city of Samaria (6:25 and 7:4), which seems to be a result of, rather than a circumstance preceding, the siege. The implication is that before the siege the city itself had not been suffering hunger to the same extent as the rest of the country. (1 and 2 Kings, 207)

If this famine and Elisha’s instructions occurred around the time of his raising her son (4:18-37), then Elisha’s words to the woman back in 4:13 are particularly relevant. Elisha had asked her, “Can we speak on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?” to which she responded at first, “I am living among my own people.” She didn’t need such help at the time; she had friends and family. However, now, because of a famine, she will be instructed to live away from her people and will be in need of a word spoken to the king on her behalf. That is exactly what happens in 8:4-5. Once again we see this woman being rewarded for caring for God’s prophet (cf. Matt 10:40-42).

Her Obedience (vv. 2-3)

She did exactly as Elisha said, demonstrating a soft heart. She believed he was God’s messenger. While others in the land would not believe Elisha (like Joram and his assassin), she believed him and obeyed. She illustrates Jesus’ fourth type of heart in the parable of the four soils, “who hear[s] the word, welcome[s] it, and produce[s] a crop: 30, 60, and 100 times what was sown” (Mark 4:20).

She lived in the land of the Philistines for seven years. In contrast to Joram, she patiently waits on the Lord. During that time God protects her. Unfortunately she loses her house and land during her sojourn. Joram may have acted like his land-grabbing father and taken it (cf. 1 Kgs 21). She is in need of help and a defender. She possibly lost her husband as well, making her more desperate.

God’s Providence (vv. 4-6)

Providentially, when she arrives at the royal court to beg for her property, Gehazi is telling the king about this lady at the same time. (What is Gehazi doing here? Was he not struck with leprosy in 5:27? Yes, but those events seem to have happened after this event.) The king is curious about the work of Yahweh and His prophet but certainly not committed to Yahweh. As Gehazi is telling the king all about how her son was raised from the dead, she walks into the room (perhaps even with her child). Gehazi advocated for the defenseless in this story, and it proved successful, as God providently used this encounter to move the king to restore not only all that was hers but also all the income from her land that she would have received if she had not left the country.

This lady received a simple word and she obeyed. Many, like King Joram, received more messages from Elisha than her yet refused to believe. Joram was charmed by the truth at times but never changed by the truth. Davis says it well: “The men of Nineveh will likely stand up at the judgment and condemn Joram and his heirs, for [the Ninevites] repented when they had only a simple word of judgment but no catalogue of grace” (2 Kings, 135). Who are you like: the king, hearing gospel truths regularly but not responding, or this simple lady who takes God’s word as truth, obeying it?

The Brokenhearted Prophet and the Decline of Judah

2 Kings 8:7-29

The rest of chapter 8 fills in some important details for us. We learn about the fulfillment of God’s instructions to Elijah. If you remember, he was to anoint Elisha, Hazael, and Jehu (1 Kgs 19:15-17). He did anoint Elisha (1 Kgs 19:19-21), but we never heard of him anointing the other two men. The writer seems to intend for us to see that this is now going to happen through Elisha (Davis, 2 Kings, 136). Elisha will set apart Hazael as God’s instrument of judgment on Israel (8:12). Also, the kingdom of Judah is beginning to look more and more like the kingdom of Israel. After some decent kings—Asa and Jehoshaphat—we read of Jehoram and Ahaziah, who lead the country downward. All the while, we are still waiting for the house of Omri/Ahab to be eliminated. We have had a king from Omri’s family since 1 Kings 16:23, despite Elijah’s prophecy in 1 Kings 21:21-24. We can feel the tension as we wait. We are just one chapter away from the coronation of Jehu (2 Kgs 9:6), who will execute judgment on that house.

A New Aramean King: Hazael (vv. 7-15)

Ben-hadad is ill, and he sends Hazael to find Elisha, who is residing in Damascus (cf. 1 Kgs 19:15). The king wants to know whether he will live. The foreign king sends for Elisha’s prognosis, unlike Ahaziah of Israel who inquired of Baal-zebub in his sickness (2 Kgs 1:2). In an attempt to persuade Elisha to grant a favorable prophecy, a humongous gift is given to him—40 camel loads. Imagine that scene! The sad reality is that the king only inquires as to whether or not he will recover. His vision is shortsighted.

If I may use another beach illustration, my youngest son Joshua and I were out in the ocean. I was holding him as these big waves were coming at us. He said, “Oh Papa, don’t drop me. Don’t let me drown. I want to eat supper.” I laughed because he obviously missed the bigger issue of drowning. If you drown, you have something more significant to think about than supper. Ben-hadad was worried about “supper” when he should have been thinking about eternal life.

Elisha tells Hazael more than he wants to know. He gives him a bit of a riddle. He says, “Go say to him, ‘You are sure to recover.’ But the Lord has shown me that he is sure to die” (v. 10). This puzzle basically means that Ben-hadad is in fact going to die. However, it isn’t going to be from his illness but from something else (for more on this, see Provan, 1 and 2 Kings, 207).

Jeremiah is called “the weeping prophet,” but here we read of another weeping prophet: Elisha. He stares down Hazael and then breaks down in tears. Hazael asks Elisha why the tears. He answers, “Because I know the evil you will do to the people of Israel” (v. 12). When Hazael questions this, Elisha tells him, “The Lord has shown me that you will be king over Aram” (v. 13). This prediction takes place: Hazael brutally inflicts great suffering on Israel (Amos 1:13; Hos 13:16; 2 Kgs 9:14-15; 12:17-18; 13:3-7; 15:16). He rises to power by killing Ben-hadad. We read that he relays the message, “You are sure to recover” (v. 14), but then he apparently proceeds to smother Ben-hadad to death.

Elisha’s brokenheartedness reminds us of God’s other compassionate messengers. Ezekiel says on behalf of Yahweh, “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked” (33:11). Jeremiah said, “My eyes will overflow with tears, for the Lord’s flock has been taken captive” (13:17). Paul said, “For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction” (Phil 3:18-19; emphasis added; see also Rom 9:1-5). Jesus Himself wept over the city of Jerusalem (Luke 19:41). God must judge sinners, but He is slow to anger and full of mercy. When judgment comes, there is an element of divine sadness in it. Tears fall with the fire and brimstone. Elisha knew judgment was necessary, but it was sad (Davis, 2 Kings, 137). He was a brokenhearted prophet.

If people are going to refuse to believe and head off into destruction, then let them do so by walking through a puddle of our prayerful tears. Are you broken for those who don’t know the King? Let us learn from Elisha to weep over the unrepentant and to remember, “God seldom blesses a tearless ministry” (Quarles, “Paul: A Model for Ministry”).

Kings in Judah (vv. 16-29)

It has been a while since we have read of Judah. In 2 Kings 3 King Jehoshaphat was part of an unsuccessful attack on Moab. Now we learn of his son, Jehoram. (The HCSB consistently spells Israel’s king “Joram” and Judah’s king “Jehoram.” In Hebrew, the two names are spelled the same way.) King Jehoram of Judah was first mentioned in 1 Kings 22:50 and again in 2 Kings 1:17.

Judah begins to look more and more like Israel. Not only do their kings have the same name (in Hebrew), but they also begin practicing the same idolatry. Jehoram “walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for Ahab’s daughter was his wife. He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight” (8:18). He apparently was given to the worship of golden calves, like Jeroboam, and also to the worship of Baal. This would mean he was “worse” than the King Joram of Israel (2 Kgs 3:2-3). He has intermarried with Ahab’s daughter (Athaliah, v. 26), and the idolatrous practices of that family have now infected Judah. They are all “one big evil family” (Davis, 2 Kings, 140). Because of His promise to David, God doesn’t eliminate them (v. 19; cf. 2 Sam 7:12-16; 21:17; 1 Kgs 11:36; 15:4). By God’s grace a lamp remains in Judah. It would shine, ever so dimly, until the coming of King Jesus. “The Lord was unwilling to destroy Judah.” These kings will fall, but God will keep His kingdom.

Edom fails to submit to King Jehoram. Gone are the days of Solomon, who could rule over the nations. Jehoram faces the same kind of problem his northern counterpart faced when they failed to subdue Moab (2 Kgs 3). Judah is forced to flee from the battlefield. Even cities in Judah, like Libnah, are experiencing unrest. The picture is of great decline in Judah. We are told of Jehoram’s death in verses 23-24, and we read that Ahaziah is the new king of Judah.

Judah’s King Ahaziah (not to be confused with Israel’s King Ahaziah in 1 Kgs 22:51–2 Kgs 1) follows in the sins of his father Jehoram and the sins of the family of Ahab/Omri. He reigns a whole year! He went to war with Israel against Hazael (probably sending troops, not going himself). In the battle Israel’s King Joram gets wounded. Ahaziah went down to visit Joram, but that was the last visit he would make, for now the stage is set for judgment. King Joram of Israel is in Jezreel, and King Ahaziah of Judah is visiting him. They didn’t know what was coming (peek ahead to 2 Kgs 9:14-16).

We are left to marvel at the nature of God. From these accounts it’s clear that God is

a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving wrongdoing, rebellion, and sin. But He will not leave the guilty unpunished. (Exod 34:6-7)

For all who call on Him, from Aram to Israel to Bangladesh to Omaha, there is salvation. “You are a forgiving God,” Nehemiah prayed (Neh 9:17). But for those who refuse to embrace Christ as Savior and Lord, judgment will come. A day of grace is here now, so respond before the day of judgment comes. You can have a stubborn heart like Ben-hadad, a superficial heart like Joram, or a skeptical heart like his assassin. But you will wish you had believed like the Shunammite woman.

God’s divine mercy and justice have been most gloriously displayed in the cross of Jesus. There the sinless One bore our judgment so that we may experience everlasting mercy and grace. Look to Him, and flee the wrath to come—a wrath worse than anything we read of in Kings. In Christ you are safe. In Christ you are free from condemnation.

Reflect and Discuss

1. In what ways does God’s mercy extend even to those who reject Him today?
2. What can be learned from the vision of the invisible “chariots of fire all around”?
3. Discuss any personal experiences of trusting God without a vision of invisible chariots of fire.
4. The king of Israel scoffs at the Lord and intends to kill Elisha. What has caused his hardness of heart?
5. In what ways might God communicate His good news through unlikely messengers today?
6. What types of people might be considered unworthy, like the four lepers, of carrying the good news?
7. The miraculous provision of God to His people turns out to be a rod of judgment for the unbelieving captain. How do God’s mercy and justice function in this story?
8. How do God’s mercy and justice intertwine for people today in the cross of Christ?
9. Discuss the Shunammite woman’s obedience and the role it played in her life.
10. How does God bless His people when they are obedient today?