Elisha Foretells Food and Judgment

Elisha had an extraordinary word from the LORD. He looked death in the eyes, but talked about life about to come. This is not God’s answer for conversion. It is God showing one of His proofs of grace without a reason or even a trace of repentance from His people.

The proof of grace brings to light that man is unrepentant. The royal officer mocked the power of God, Who in grace made this promise. It was the same language of the mocker who says: “Where is the promise of His coming?” (2Pet 3:4a). Only judgment can fall on this man, and it will come. Every mocker will be brought to the conviction of the truth of God’s Word. But then it will be too late to repent.

Four Leprous Men Confer

Then our attention is directed at four leprous men at the entrance of the gate of the city. There is hardly a situation imaginable that is more hopeless than that of these four leprous men. They have participated in the same terrible famine, but have also been ejected from the city. They suffered with the people around them as well as suffering in their own body.

These men were different from Naaman, for they were members of God’s people. The law of leprosy applies to them (Leviticus 13-14). Leprosy in a member of God’s people, represents the bursting out of sin in this person. Therefore, the application here is not primarily about a sinner of the world who lives in his sins, but what a child of God falls into, when sin has the opportunity to manifest itself in him. Also the further lessons are different. With Naaman it is about cleaning his leprosy. In the four leprous men we see more the path to spiritual recovery.

They sat down, deliberated and considered the situation in all its realities. Death was around them and death was in them. They were completely without confidence of survival. They would starve in the city, and outside the city they would also die. Their only hope seemed to be the enemy’s mercy for them. With this acknowledgement, their path of restoration begins.

Abundance of Food and Wealth

The lepers went to the Syrian army camp to surrender to them. This means that they were ready to surrender to the rod of discipline in God’s hand for His people, for that is what the Syrians were. The men thereby accepted the judgment. The path of spiritual restoration begins when we acknowledge that God is chastising us and accepting it from His hand. Then there is return to life (Heb 12:4-11).

When they arrived at the camp, they saw that there was no one there. That was the result of the LORD’s work. He made the Syrians hear a tremendous noise, revealing His power as He did when He took Elijah to heaven (2Kgs 2:11), and when He surrounded Elisha in Dothan (2Kgs 6:17). The Syrians misinterpreted this, because they do not acknowledge God, thinking that it can only come from natural means.

This demonstration of power contributes to the restoration of the lepers. God alone has driven out the enemy, without anyone having helped Him. So every restoration is God’s work alone. It is also restoration that brought great blessings. The leprous men were overloaded with blessings, blessings that were thrown into their laps. At this time they only thought of themselves. There was food, silver and gold and clothes. They experienced what the prodigal son did when he was back with his father (Lk 15:21-23). When someone has just come to the knowledge of being saved, he is happy for himself with everything he has received.

Good News Must Be Told

After being so absorbed in their blessings, they came to reflect that it was a day of good news. They must not keep the salvation they have received for themselves. If we really appreciate the spiritual riches we have received as believers, we will distribute them. Not only is it important to spread the gospel to unbelievers, but it is also important to share “the mystery of the gospel” (Eph 6:19) with spiritually poor believers.

The men talked about the morning light coming. If they kept everything to themselves, their guilt would be discovered. We see here a picture of the “morning light” of the judgment seat of Christ, where everything will be revealed (2Cor 5:10). When He sits on the judgment seat and we appear before Him there, Christ will make clear what we have done with what we have received. Will He, or will believers, have to reproach us for having kept all riches to ourselves?

The men applied the action to the word and went to town. The king and the people must know what they had discovered. At that moment, the people in the city were sleeping with hungry stomachs. They had gone to bed with the only thought that they would be even more miserable the next day.

The four men went with the good news to the gatekeepers. They couldn’t do anything else; it was impossible for them to remain silent about these things, just as it was impossible for the apostles not to speak of Christ later on (Acts 4:20). The love of Christ controls them (cf. 2Cor 5:14a). The gatekeeper told the story of the four lepers in the royal palace. The good news was passed on, higher and higher up to the king.

Reaction to the Good News

The message was not immediately believed. There was suspicion. That resulted in an extension of the misery. We too do not have to count on an enthusiastic reception of the gospel. The king showed false mistrust. The prophet had promised him salvation, but he could only think of an ambush. Salvation was too easy for him. Thus when faith is preached as the only means of salvation, it is often disregarded. Faith means that one does not have to do anything to be saved. However, people always want to do something. In this case everything had already been done. The king only had to go outside and receive.

This king had good servants. One made a proposal to help the king cross the threshold of his mistrust, just like a servant helped Naaman get over his pride earlier. Simple people are often the deciding factor for an important decision and not lofty rhetoric. God uses whom He will for the performance of His work. In this story these are four impure members of His people and a nameless servant of the king. He chooses the base and the insignificant (1Cor 1:25-28).

The proposal was executed. The king sent men to investigate. The few horses that were still there were used. After all, it made no difference to anything. Everyone needed to wait until the messengers would come back.

The messengers went on their way, following the trail of the Syrians who had fled to the Jordan. It was not difficult to follow them, because the whole road was “full of clothes and equipment which the Arameans had thrown away in their haste”. Everything was there just to be picked up. The messengers returned and reported what they had seen.

It is spiritually significant that it is mentioned that the messengers followed the enemies “to the Jordan”, and that all the enemies’ belongings were scattered up to that place. It is a picture that the judgment of God has gone to the Jordan and the blessings to the Jordan lie before us. The victory and the blessing are connected with the Jordan.

In the Jordan Naaman was cleansed, in the Jordan a student prophet got his axe head back. It is proposed, that through the death and resurrection of Christ, cleansing of sins is obtained (Naaman) and the ability to build (the student prophet). Also this means the end of the enemy and the beginning of blessing. Israel only had to accept it. For us, every victory over our state of sin is achieved by the Lord Jesus on the cross. That is where restoration came about. The messengers testify of this to the king.

The Word of the LORD Fulfilled

After the message of the enemy’s run, the people flew out of town to take the spoil. The word which the LORD had spoken in 2Kgs 7:1 was fulfilled. The following verses are also a fulfillment of what was announced earlier. The people could fully satisfy their hunger. However, we do not read a word of gratitude to the LORD and Elisha, as we saw in Naaman. Do we thank the Lord for our salvation? We should start with that every day and not just enjoy the consequences as if all this were self-evident.

The royal officer on whom the king leaned, came to his end, as Elisha said; a terrible fulfillment for him according to God’s word. The king charged him to supervise at the gate. The man was standing in the gate, seeing everything the people were going to enjoy, but he was not given a part in it. Thus the Lord Jesus spoke of people who see others in the bosom of Abraham, but are cast out themselves. There is a seeing that is abhorrent, like the man in the realm of the dead when he sees Lazarus in the distance (Lk 16:23).

Because this event is intended to make a deep impression on us, these verses refer in detail to the reason for the judgment. Almost literally, we are told again what is written at the beginning of this chapter about what Elisha has said and the reaction of the royal officer. In this section it is told twice. In total, the new price of food is stated three times, also that the officer dies as the man of God has spoken and all was fulfilled according to the word the LORD..

God’s judgment is thus doubly underlined, as it were. Again and again this section refers to what the LORD has said and points out that His Word is actually and literally fulfilled. God forgets nothing of what mockers have said. They are reminded of it. It all happened, as it was said. The man has no excuse, because God maintains His Word.

This royal officer is a penetrating, warning example for young people growing up in an environment where, from an early age, they are acquainted with the truth and promises of God. Young people can see a lot of the glorious truths of God’s Word and yet stay outside of it, because there is no faith, yes, they can even be mockers. They have been enlightened, but end in eternal darkness (cf. Heb 6:4-6). They have been so close to it, they have tasted everything, but never had an inner part in it through faith. They ‘see’, that is, they know of the virgin birth, but do not believe. They know about the cross and the resurrection, but they do not believe it. The warning is: “See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking” (Heb 12:25a).