Read the Passage: 2 Kings 3-4

Water for an Army (3:1–27)

After the death of Ahaziah (cf. 2 Kings 1:17), his brother Jehoram ascended to the throne. While he did “put away the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made” (2 Kings 3:2), Jehoram was still evil in the sight of the Lord and “he persisted in the sins of Jeroboam” (2 Kings 3:3). During this era, Moab had been under the control of Israel, paying a heavy annual tribute of lambs and wool; yet, when Ahab died, Moab rebelled. This prompted Jehoram to assemble an army from Israel, Judah, and Edom to invade Moab. Perhaps for strategic reasons, Jehoram foolishly led this gathered army on a roundabout approach to Moab, through the arid desert and salt marshes south of the dead sea. This left the army exhausted and without water. Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, learned that Elisha was with the army. He and Ahaziah then approached Elisha concerning the lack of water.

In his response to Jehoram and Jehoshaphat, Elisha was clear that he would not have assisted them, except for the presence of the king of Judah. While Jehoshaphat did not always display wisdom, he did serve God faithfully (cf. 1 Kings 22:43). Elisha then asked for a musician, likely to calm his mind and to assist him in focusing on the Lord. Indeed, music and prophecy are connected in the Old Testament in various contexts (cf. 1 Sam. 10:5–6; 18:10–11; 19:20–24; 1 Chron. 25:1–3). Elisha’s message was twofold. First, he instructed the kings to have the army dig ditches, or water canals, in the valley. Second, Elisha told the kings to decimate the land of Moab during the ensuing attack. Observe that God’s displeasure with the Moabites is related to their hostility toward Israel during the exodus, when Israel was approaching Canaan (cf. Num. 20:14–21; Deut. 23:3–4).

Life for Two Women (4:1–37)

2 Kings 4:1–7 records the sixth of the eighteen miracles of Elisha that are detailed in 2 Kings 2–9. This miracle involves the multiplication of a widow’s oil. Observe that this miracle is similar to, but separate from, Elijah’s earlier miraculous increase of a widow’s oil (cf. 1 Kings 17:8–16). Furthermore, note that both Elijah’s and Elisha’s oil-related miracles are followed by a miracle that involves the raising of a son. Here in 2 Kings 4:1–7, Elisha was approached by the widow of a prophet whose husband had incurred a debt. Under Old Testament law, a creditor could enslave a debtor’s children in order to pay off a debt, albeit only for a limited time (cf. Exod. 21:2–4; Lev. 25:39–41; Deut. 15:12–15). Elisha’s solution was to miraculously multiply a small amount of oil that this widow possessed. The widow could then sell the surplus oil and satisfy her late husband’s debt.

2 Kings 4:8–37 details the interaction between Elisha and a wealthy Shunammite woman. This woman and her husband had kindly provided lodging for Elisha and Gehazi. Since he was grateful, Elisha told the woman, “About this time next year, you shall embrace a son” (2 Kings 4:16). While such a prediction was unbelievable to the barren woman, in time, the Shunammite gave birth to a son. Next, the narrative records that one day the child had a medical emergency—some have suggested a heat stroke, or perhaps a tumor—and he died. The woman then made the twenty mile journey from Shunem to Mount Carmel to see Elisha. Interestingly, the woman did not ask Elisha for healing, rather she accused Elisha of deceiving her by promising her a son, who was now dead. Elisha then went to the boy, prayed, stretched himself out on the corpse, restored life to the child, and presented the boy to his mother.

Food for the People (4:38–43)

Recall that two of Elisha’s previously reported miracles involved the provision of water (cf. 2 Kings 2:19–22; 3:16–20). Now, in 2 Kings 4:38–43, two of Elisha’s miracles entail the provision of food. First, 2 Kings 4:38–41 narrates an occasion when the sons of the prophets invited Elisha to a meal. At this gathering, it was discovered that the stew which had been prepared was poisonous on account of some wild gourds that had been added. Elisha miraculously counteracted the poison by adding flour to the pot. Observe that one of Elijah’s earlier miracles involved flour, too (cf. 1 Kings 17:14). Second, 2 Kings 4:42–43 notes a time when Elisha fed a group of one hundred men with a very small quantity of barley bread and ripened grain, even resulting in leftover food after the meal. Of course, this miracle foreshadows Jesus’ much later miracle of the feeding of the five thousand (cf. Matt. 14:13–21).

Application Questions:

1. What is the purpose of miracles in the Bible? Can someone become a believer on account of witnessing a miracle?
2. Given Jehoshaphat’s earlier disastrous alliance with Ahab (cf. 1 Kings 22), why did he join Jehoram?
3. Why did Elisha ask for a musician to be brought before he prophesied? How can music assist us in worshiping God?
4. What does the Bible teach about going into financial debt (cf. Ps. 37:21; Prov. 22:7; Rom. 13:8)?
5. How many people are raised to life in Scripture? Are there any commonalities among biblical resurrections?