2 Kings 7:2 The officer on whose arm the king was leaning said to the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?” “You will see it with your own eyes,” answered Elisha, “but you will not eat any of it!”
It can be easy to get lost in all the stories and miracles in this section of the Scriptures. The prophet Elisha has taken over the role of Elijah the prophet. He continues to be led to speak the truth to those in power. He isn’t afraid to announce verdicts of death. He isn’t afraid to call out sin and name it for what it is. He is bold.
But there is an underlaying theme of this whole section of Scripture. The LORD will make His Name known throughout the world. After seeing His interventions in history they will know that the LORD is the Creator God and has the power and inclination to intervene in human history. He isn’t a distant, detached god, but the God who does what He says.
To set the scene, the LORD has allowed an enemy to carry out siege warfare against the Northern Kingdom of Israel. He is doing this to purge that area of rebellion and the sins connected to the worship of idols. He wants to draw them back into relationship with Himself. So he allows them to be put under extreme pressure. Food prices have spiked and there is a shortage of every essential as the army of the enemy has surrounded the city.
It is funny how the LORD uses the most unlikely people to accomplish His purposes. In this case he uses four men afflicted with an incurable skin disease. These four have been living apart from all the other people, and they have all but given up hope. But as the talk to each other they hatch a plot.
It goes something like this. We are going to die one way or the other. We are starving as we stay close to the city. We are the lowest of the low on the food distribution priority, so we know we are doomed. If we go to the enemy we at least have a chance to get some food. If not, and they kill us, at least we will have tried. So try they do.
They sneak into the enemy camp and find the enemy army camp empty! They pounce on all the food and other spoils of the camp. They eat!
But then they realize that there are so many others who are dying in the city. They send news to the city and the city comes and is saved from the famine imposed by the siege army. But not everyone has a fairy tale happy ending.
Our text tells us about one such unhappy ending. When the prophet Elisha had told the king about the miraculous relief from the siege coming the next day, one of his trusted officers said it was an impossible job, even if the LORD was supplying the food.
Now that did it! When the LORD gets involved, nothing is impossible. If the LORD says it is going to happen, it happens. So the LORD through the prophet tells this officer that he will see the spoils, but won’t eat any. He will die instead. And when it happens, everyone knows that the LORD did it.
Can you recall things that the LORD has done in your life that others can see the hand of the LORD at work in you and in your circumstances? Maybe you aren’t looking hard enough. Or maybe the LORD has not allowed you to go into a trial yet. But maybe it is just around the corner.
Now you might say, “I don’t want that kind of pressure put on me.” But look around. The COVID-19 is putting pressure on so many, maybe even you. How are you responding to something the LORD is allowing in your life? Are you truly trusting Him?
The Arnold Journey 