Filed under: 2 kings, ahab, baal, elisha, gehazi, god, jehoram, jehoshaphat, mesha, naaman, rimmon
[Stuff we're skipping:
* We learn that Jehoram, the son of Ahab, became king of Israel and that he was a bad (not as bad as Ahab) guy. Mesha, the king of Moab, owed Israel a lot of sheep and wool; so Jehoram recruited Jehoshaphat (king of Judah) to march out against him. Problem is, they ran out of water in the process. So, they called on Elisha to find out what to do. Elisha basically told Jehoram to go to the prophets of Baal, like his mommy and daddy; but then he said that he would give them the water and Moab in battle because of God's favor of Jehoshaphat. And water came out of nowhere. Elisha also caused an "optical illusion" to occur. Mesha thought that the water looked like it was blood, so he sent his men down to take plunder...turns out, it wasn't, and they ended up getting their butts kicked.
* A widow of a prophet-fried of Elisha's ends up being in serious debt and having some guy threaten to take her sons away as slaves. Elisha's solution is to have all her neighbors donate containers. Then he miraculously makes it possible to fill all the containers with oil that she can sell to pay off her debt.
* A really nice lady from Shunem would prepare meals for Elisha every time he passed by. Eventually, she had a mini-apartment built for him; so he could stay there on his journeys. Elisha asked his servant, Gehazi, what he could do for her to repay her kindness. It turns out that she was old and had no children, so Elisha made it so that she could conceive a son. Years later, the son ended up getting sick and dying. His mother laid the son down on the bed in Elisha's place and set out to find Elisha. She finds Elisha and Gehazi, and she begs them to help her. Elisha sends Gehazi to place his staff on the head of the child, but nothing happens. Elisha ends up going himself and lies on top of the child. The child awakens!
* At another time, someone accidentally threw some deadly ingredient into a pot of stew that was for all the prophets. Elisha tells them to toss some flour in it, and it becomes pure. A random guy comes with a gift of some bread for Elisha. Elisha says to serve the 100 prophets. The guy says there is not enough, but Elisha makes it possible for everyone to eat and for there still to be some left.]
Elisha sure is powerful. I guess he did get that double-portion.
1. Naaman was a great warrior, but he was also a leper. Man…imagine that! You would definitely have a psychological advantage in battle with no one wanting to touch you.
2. Notice that it says that the Lord gave Syria (foreigners) victory against Israel (His people). This is the price that they’re paying for Ahab and Jehoram’s poor leadership.
3. The slave girl worked for Naaman’s wife. Imagine being a slave girl to a woman who had a husband that was a leper. Did she ever even really go near him? I mean…not to be suggestive or anything, but…do you think Naaman ever slept with his wife? And the slave is her slave.
4. That slave girl was bold. But, you can’t argue with compassion. And she’s showing Naaman that she cared about his health as a person…not her master. Compassion.
5. Notice the king is willing to pull out all the stops for Naaman. Also notice that the king seeks Naaman’s rejuvination from the king (um…he and Elisha are not really friends).
6. So…when the letter gets there, Jehoram’s in a panic. He thinks that this is a set-up. Because, why would he possibly cure the general of the army that his been raiding his country? Even if he wanted to, how could he?
7. Elisha overhears. And Elijah knows what to do. This probably made Jehoram even madder.
8. Elisha doesn’t even great this “dignitary.” He just tells him to go into the Jordan. Simple instructions, right?
9. Naaman gets a little too prideful, thinking his rivers are just as good, thinking that there was going to be more ceremony to this healing.
10. Thank God his servants talked some sense into him. Isn’t it funny how we don’t accept God’s solutions because we think they are too easy?
11. Being healed won Naaman over. It makes you wonder why God doesn’t use this method more often.
12. Naaman tries to give Gehazi a present, but he wouldn’t take it (as per the orders of Elisha, more than likely). Naaman says that he will worship God, then. He also asks for “pre-forgiveness” for when he has to walk into the temple of Rimmon (the Syrian god) and bow with his king. Interesting.
13. Why does Gehazi run to get a present?
14. Naaman has no idea that Gehazi is lying, trying to skim gifts off the top. Uh oh…
15. Ironically, Gehazi then becomes leprous for trying to profit from being a prophet.
