ELISHA

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Have you ever felt like your faith has reached its breaking point? Have you ever been so overwhelmed by despair, heartache, or life’s pressures that you thought you couldn’t go on? If you’ve felt like this, then the story of Elisha in 2 Kings 6:24–7:20 is for you. This story begins in the depths of despair but rises to a miraculous deliverance. It’s a story that mirrors our own lives, where challenges and tests can stretch our faith to its limits. But even in our darkest moments, God can bring about a miraculous breakthrough.

2 Kings 6:24–30

“And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria.”
“And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass’s head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver.”
“And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O king.”
“And he said, If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress?”
“And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and we will eat my son to morrow.”
“So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son.”
“And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh.”

Ben-Hadad, the king of Aram, besieged the city of Samaria, causing a famine so severe that people were buying a donkey’s head for eighty shekels of silver—a sign of utter desperation. During this famine, a woman approached the king of Israel with a heartbreaking plea: she and another woman had resorted to cannibalism, eating her son for survival. The king, in horror, tore his robes in despair, revealing the sackcloth underneath—a symbol of repentance and humility.

At this point, the nation of Israel was completely cut off, and the people were suffering unimaginably. Sometimes, life brings us to a point where all natural help is gone, and we realize that only God’s intervention can save us. The situation was so dire that the people’s faith was being stretched beyond its limits.

2 Kings 6:31–33

“Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.”
“But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him; and the king sent a man from before him: but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head? look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door: is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?”
“And while he yet talked with them, behold, the messenger came down unto him: and he said, Behold, this evil is of the LORD; what should I wait for the LORD any longer?”

In his despair, the king of Israel sought to blame someone for the calamity. His anger turned toward Elisha, the prophet, swearing that Elisha’s head would not remain on his shoulders by the end of the day! The king’s frustration reflects how many of us feel when we have waited on God and seen no answer.

The king had likely followed Elisha’s earlier guidance—perhaps Elisha had warned him that deliverance would come if they trusted God. But now, in the midst of suffering, the king had reached his breaking point. He couldn’t wait any longer. He had repented, worn sackcloth, and humbled himself before God, but there had been no sign of relief. His frustration mirrors our own when we have prayed, trusted, and waited, but God seems silent.

2 Kings 7:1–2:

“Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.”
“Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.”

In the face of the king’s anger, Elisha delivers a surprising prophecy: by this time tomorrow, food would be plentiful, and the famine would be over. God’s deliverance was just around the corner! But one of the king’s officers doubted this promise, saying that even if God opened the floodgates of heaven, such a thing couldn’t happen. Elisha responded, “You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it!”

Elisha’s prophecy reminds us that God can work suddenly and miraculously, even when things seem hopeless. Like the officer, we may struggle with doubt. When we’re facing severe trials, it’s easy to wonder, Can God really do this? But God is not limited by our circumstances. He is the God of the impossible!

2 Kings 7:3–8

“And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?”
“If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.”
“And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there.”
“For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.”
“Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life.”
“And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it.”

Enter four men with leprosy, considered the outcasts of society. These men, on the verge of death from the famine, reasoned that they had nothing to lose. They decided to surrender to the Arameans, thinking that if the enemy killed them, it would be no worse than starving to death.

When they arrived at the Aramean camp, they found it completely deserted. The Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of a great army, and in fear, they fled, leaving behind all their provisions. The four lepers entered the camp, ate, drank, and took silver, gold, and clothing. God had miraculously delivered Samaria through the actions of four unlikely men—outcasts who were simply trying to survive.

This part of the story shows us that God can use the weak and the unlikely to bring about His deliverance. The lepers were not great warriors or heroes; they were outcasts, but God used them in His plan. In the same way, God can use anyone—even those who feel weak or insignificant—to accomplish great things.

2 Kings 7:9–16

“Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king’s household.

So they came and called unto the porter of the city: and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and the tents as they were.

And he called the porters; and they told it to the king’s house within.

And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now shew you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we be hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city.

And one of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city, (behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it: behold, I say, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed:) and let us send and see.

They took therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see.

And they went after them unto Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king.

And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD.”

After enjoying the spoils of the Aramean camp, the lepers had a moment of conviction. They realized they weren’t doing right by keeping this good news to themselves. They returned to the city and informed the gatekeepers about the abandoned camp, leading to the people of Samaria rushing out to plunder the camp. Just as Elisha had prophesied, food became plentiful, and the famine was over.

This part of the story reminds us of the importance of sharing God’s blessings and deliverance with others. When God works in our lives, we shouldn’t keep it to ourselves. Just like the lepers, we are called to share the good news and let others know what God has done.

The story of Elisha and the siege of Samaria teaches us that waiting on God can be incredibly difficult. Sometimes, God makes us wait longer than we would like, and His silence can be hard to bear. But in these times, we are called to trust in His character, His promises, and His timing.

As we wait on God, let us remember that He is faithful. He can bring about deliverance when we least expect it, and He can use the most unlikely people and circumstances to accomplish His purposes. Hold on to hope and trust that God’s deliverance is coming.

As the Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 5:3-4, “We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

If you are in a season of waiting, take courage. God is at work, even if you can’t see it. Hold on to faith, and in time, you will see His hand of deliverance.