2 Kings 4: 1 – 44
So, how was your day?
4 A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.” 2 So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.” 3 Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few. 4 And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.” 5 So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. 6 Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased. 7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.” 8 Now it happened one day that Elisha went to Shunem, where there was a notable woman, and she persuaded him to eat some food. So, it was, as often as he passed by, he would turn in there to eat some food. 9 And she said to her husband, “Look now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly. 10 Please, let us make a small upper room on the wall; and let us put a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; so it will be, whenever he comes to us, he can turn in there.” 11 And it happened one day that he came there, and he turned in to the upper room and lay down there. 12 Then he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite woman.” When he had called her, she stood before him. 13 And he said to him, “Say now to her, ‘Look, you have been concerned for us with all this care. What can I do for you? Do you want me to speak on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?’ She answered, “I dwell among my own people.” 14 So he said, “What then is to be done for her?” And Gehazi answered, “Actually, she has no son, and her husband is old.” 15 So he said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. 16 Then he said, “About this time next year you shall embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord. Man, of God, do not lie to your maidservant!” 17 But the woman conceived, and bore a son when the appointed time had come, of which Elisha had told her. 18 And the child grew. Now it happened one day that he went out to his father, to the reapers. 19 And he said to his father, “My head, my head!” So, he said to a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 20 When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. 21 And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut the door upon him, and went out. 22 Then she called to her husband, and said, “Please send me one of the young men and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and come back.” 23 So he said, “Why are you going to him today? It is neither the New Moon nor the Sabbath.” And she said “It is well.” 24 Then she saddled a donkey, and said to her servant, “Drive, and go forward; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you.” 25 And so she departed and went to the man of God at Mount Carmel. So, it was, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, the Shunammite woman! 26 Please run now to meet her, and say to her, ‘Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?’ And she answered, “It is well.” 27 Now when she came to the man of God at the hill, she caught him by the feet, but Gehazi came near to push her away. But the man of God said, “Let her alone; for her soul is in deep distress, and the LORD has hidden it from me, and has not told me.” 28 So she said, “Did I ask a son of my lord? Did I not say, ‘Do not deceive me’?” 29 Then he said to Gehazi, “Get yourself ready, and take my staff in your hand, and be on your way. If you meet anyone, do not greet him; and if anyone greets you, do not answer him; but lay my staff on the face of the child.” 30 And the mother of the child said, “As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” So he arose and followed her. 31 Now Gehazi went on ahead of them and laid the staff on the face of the child; but there was neither voice nor hearing. Therefore, he went back to meet him, and told him, saying, “The child has not awakened.” 32 When Elisha came into the house, there was the child, lying dead on his bed. 33 He went in therefore, shut the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the LORD. 34 And he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands; and he stretched himself out on the child, and the flesh of the child became warm. 35 He returned and walked back and forth in the house, and again went up and stretched himself out on him; then the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. 36 And he called Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite woman.” So, he called her. And when she came in to him, he said, “Pick up your son.” 37 So she went in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground; then she picked up her son and went out. 38 And Elisha returned to Gilgal, and there was a famine in the land. Now the sons of the prophets were sitting before him; and he said to his servant, “Put on the large pot, and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.” 39 So one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered from it a lapful of wild gourds, and came and sliced them into the pot of stew, though they did not know what they were. 40 Then they served it to the men to eat. Now it happened, as they were eating the stew, that they cried out and said, “Man of God, there is death in the pot!” And they could not eat it. 41 So he said, “Then bring some flour.” And he put it into the pot, and said, “Serve it to the people, that they may eat.” And there was nothing harmful in the pot. 42 Then a man came from Baal Shalisha and brought the man of God bread of the first fruits, twenty loaves of barley bread, and newly ripened grain in his knapsack. And he said, “Give it to the people, that they may eat.” 43 But his servant said, “What? Shall I set this before one hundred men?” He said again, “Give it to the people, that they may eat; for thus says the LORD: ‘They shall eat and have some left over.’ 44 So he set it before them; and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the LORD.
So, how was your day Elisha? I can just picture him saying, ‘Oh, nothing out of the ordinary. Just a normal day in the life of a prophet.’
A prophet’s widow came to me and because of her destitution people who she was now in debt to were coming to take her sons as slaves, so the Lord multiplied the only thing she had in her house which was some olive oil. So, He instructed me to tell her to go and gather all the pots she could get from her neighbors and then pour the oil into them. She did so and wound up having so much oil she was able to go and sell the oil and there was so much cash from the sale that she was able to pay off her debts and have enough money for her and her sons to live off for the rest of her life.
Oh yeah, remember that wealthy couple who provides a permanent lodging place for me when I visit Shunem? Well, to demonstrate my gratitude for their hospitality I asked our Gracious God to give her a son and a son was born. Well this son died by a stroke or aneurysm. The Lord made me go back to her house then he raised the son from the dead.
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Then on the way home I stopped over and visited the school of the prophets who were just sitting down to dinner. Apparently, someone grabbed the wrong type of mushrooms which were poisonous, so I prayed to the Lord Yahweh and He made the stew safe to eat.
And, oh yeah, a group of my followers knowing I was back in town were broke and needed food. So, I prayed to the Lord and He fed a hundred of the guys by multiplying twenty small cakes of bread. Yep, it was just like I said, it was pretty much a routine day.’
I hope I stimulated your interest to find out more so let’s look at today’s scripture
4 A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.”
The death of a husband was a catastrophe for a woman with no grown-up sons, for it meant that there was no provider for the family, and this may well have been more so for wives of ‘sons of the prophets’ who were probably the poorest in Israel due to persecution and discrimination.
The widow thus turned to Elijah for help. Their condition was now she had built up debts and could not repay them. The result was that the creditor was threatening to sell her sons as bondservants to recoup the debt. This was forbidden by the Law of Moses in Leviticus 25.39-40, but Israel would not be strictly observing the Law of Moses under their current king, and in other countries this was accepted practice.
2 So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”
Elisha’s asked her what she had in her house. And it was then that he learned of the family’s total destitution. All that she had was one small vessel of olive oil.
3 Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few. 4 And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels and set aside the full ones.”
Elisha/s instruction to her was to go to all her neighbors and borrow as many vessels from them as she could. For the widow to enjoy a miracle she must exercise faith and put in effort. Then she must close her door on all outsiders and in complete privacy pour oil out of her jar into all the vessels that she had collected, and as each became full to set it aside.
5 So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out.
So, she did what she was told and having collected as many containers as she could borrow, she shut herself and her sons up in complete privacy, and as her sons brought the vessels to her, she poured oil into them.
6 Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So, the oil ceased.
After filling all the containers that they brought to her she wanted to make sure not one was overlooked. So she said to one of her sons, ‘bring me another vessel’. But the son replied, ‘there are no more vessels.’ And at that the oil from her small vessel ceased flowing.
7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.”
Filled with wonder she came and told ‘the man of God’ what had happened, and he gently told her to go and sell the oil, pay off her debt, and then use what remained to provide for herself and her sons for the rest of their future lives.
Please take note of the change to ‘man of God’ which emphasized that this had been done by YHWH. In the short term there was no purpose in this miracle except to demonstrate God’s love and compassion for His own. In the longer term it is a blessing to all believers, and once again reveals YHWH as the God of creation. But it was deliberately done in private with no eye-witnesses and was simply demonstrating how God cares for His own. It is, however, a reminder to us that when we become aware of our deepest need, we can seek to Him to also fill all that we would every think or need.
In Elisha’s busy ministry schedule he and his servant come to the town of Shunem. It was near a well-travelled road between Mount Carmel and Jezreel, one which Elisha would use frequently. In the process he became recognized by a wealthy couple who built a small brick-built room on their house for him to stay in. Having stayed there on numerous occasions, and wanting to demonstrate his gratitude, he promised the couple a son, despite the advanced age of the husband.
The son was duly born. But sadly, when he had grown to boyhood he suffered from what was probably cerebral meningitis, stroke, or aneurysm and died. Full of faith his mother went to Elisha, who sent his servant with Elisha’s own staff to heal him, but on the servant failing he went himself. After some effort the son was raised up, and Elisha presented him to his mother.
8 Now it happened one day that Elisha went to Shunem, where there was a notable woman, and she persuaded him to eat some food. So, it was, as often as he passed by, he would turn in there to eat some food.
Shunem was about five miles from Jezreel and therefore near a main route through the valley. It was thus heavily frequented, and Elisha would pass that way often on his way between Mount Carmel and Jezreel. One day when he was passing through a wealthy woman who was a true worshipper of YHWH and who lived there, and had no doubt noticed his passing several times, constrained him to enter her house for a meal. And after that he often enjoyed a meal there.
9 And she said to her husband, “Look now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly.
This acquaintance with him led to her to point out to her husband that this continually passing prophet was genuinely ‘a holy man of God’ (a true prophet of YHWH).
10 Please, let us make a small upper room on the wall; and let us put a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; so it will be, whenever he comes to us, he can turn in there.”
So, she suggested that they built a room onto their presumably large house, accessible by outside steps where he could stay. There they would provide him with a bed, a table, a chair and a lamp, all the basics that were needed to make a man comfortable. Then whenever he passed by he and his servant could stay there.
11 And it happened one day that he came there, and he turned in to the upper room and lay down there.
One day Elisha visited the couple and went to his room. He may well have been feeling exhausted, for he lay down and rested. ‘On a certain day’ is vague and we should notice that the whole incident takes place over some years, for the baby who is born has time to grow to boyhood.
12 Then he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite woman.” When he had called her, she stood before him.
Then Elisha told his servant Gehazi to ‘call the Shunammite’. The idea was not that she should come to Elisha’s room, for that would not have been seemly, but that she would talk with Gehazi. Thus, when Gehazi called her she stood before him (Gehazi).
We discover Elisha had a habit, when speaking officially as a prophet, of speaking through his servant. In this case when he wanted to discuss with her how he could help her he sent his servant Gehazi, and when Gehazi called her to come, in verse 12 it was before Gehazi that she stood, who acted as an intermediary. She would probably not have seen it as seemly to enter the prophet’s room while he was there. Just like it was so, back then, it also applies to all of us who serve our Holy Jehovah Elyon – The Lord Most High. We must take steps to make sure we are not put in any compromise able situation where we can be accused of anything.
13 And he said to him, “Say now to her, ‘Look, you have been concerned for us with all this care. What can I do for you? Do you want me to speak on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?’ She answered, “I dwell among my own people.”
Elisha had instructed Gehazi to point out that they were grateful for the care that she had taken of them, and to ask what they could do in return. Would she like being recommended to the king or the commander of the host of Israel? The idea may have been of remission of taxes, but the idea was more probably (going by her reply) an offer of special protection and a favored position in Israel.
Her reply was that she dwelt among her own people and had no need of anything. She did not want rewarding for their act of kindness. As a wealthy landowner, living among his own clan which would have a deep concern for its own, her husband did not need to look outside for help.
14 So he said, “What then is to be done for her?” And Gehazi answered, “Actually, she has no son, and her husband is old.”
Gehazi then approached Elisha, and Elisha told him what to say to the woman, after which Gehazi communicated it to the woman. She gave him her reply and he then brought an answer back to Elisha, that there was nothing that he could do for her. But to his credit Gehazi informed Elisha that the couple had no son. Elisha now realized that what he had to say was so important that it must be communicated directly. Note the emphasis on the fact that when she did come she stood in the doorway. Elisha then informed her that within a year she would have a son. She found it hard to believe, but sure enough, before a year had gone she found herself bearing a son.
15 So he said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the doorway.
So Elisha told his servant to invite her to come and see him personally. And when she came she stood in the doorway, not wanting to enter his room. This may have been because it was not considered seemly in her circles for a woman to enter a man’s room. or it may be because she saw the room as ‘holy’ because it was Elisha’s.
16 Then he said, “About this time next year you shall embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord. Man, of God, do not lie to your maidservant!”
Then he informed her that within a year she would be cuddling a son. But she found it difficult to believe and she asked him not to deceive her. She just could not believe his promise. It was too much to hope for.
17 But the woman conceived and bore a son when the appointed time had come, of which Elisha had told her.
But sure enough within a short time she conceived a son who was born to her at the time that Elisha had declared.
18 And the child grew. Now it happened one day that he went out to his father, to the reapers.
Year passed by as the son grew to boyhood, and one day he went out to see his father who was at work among the reapers in his fields, where he no doubt wanted to help his dad out.
Now I want to go over the rest of this situation.
19 And he said to his father, “My head, my head!” So, he said to a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 20 When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. 21 And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut the door upon him, and went out. 22 Then she called to her husband, and said, “Please send me one of the young men and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and come back.” 23 So he said, “Why are you going to him today? It is neither the New Moon nor the Sabbath.” And she said, “It is well.” 24 Then she saddled a donkey, and said to her servant, “Drive, and go forward; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you.” 25 And so she departed and went to the man of God at Mount Carmel. So, it was, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, the Shunammite woman! 26 Please run now to meet her, and say to her, ‘Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?’ And she answered, “It is well.” 27 Now when she came to the man of God at the hill, she caught him by the feet, but Gehazi came near to push her away. But the man of God said, “Let her alone; for her soul is in deep distress, and the LORD has hidden it from me, and has not told me.” 28 So she said, “Did I ask a son of my lord? Did I not say, ‘Do not deceive me’?” 29 Then he said to Gehazi, “Get yourself ready, and take my staff in your hand, and be on your way. If you meet anyone, do not greet him; and if anyone greets you, do not answer him; but lay my staff on the face of the child.” 30 And the mother of the child said, “As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” So, he arose and followed her. 31 Now Gehazi went on ahead of them and laid the staff on the face of the child; but there was neither voice nor hearing. Therefore, he went back to meet him, and told him, saying, “The child has not awakened.” 32 When Elisha came into the house, there was the child, lying dead on his bed. 33 He went in therefore, shut the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the LORD. 34 And he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands; and he stretched himself out on the child, and the flesh of the child became warm. 35 He returned and walked back and forth in the house, and again went up and stretched himself out on him; then the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. 36 And he called Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite woman.” So, he called her. And when she came in to him, he said, “Pick up your son.” 37 So she went in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground; then she picked up her son and went out.
There are a lot of questions that are generated here. I want to stop and look at some things that needs answers. Here are some of these puzzling situations.
. Why was the father not over-concerned about the condition of his son?
. Why did the woman carry her dead child and put him in Elisha’s room?
. Why was the mother so calm and just answered ‘all is well’?
. Why did our Lord God Yahweh hide what had happened to this woman’s child?
. Why couldn’t Gehazi as instructed by Elisha bring the child back to life?
. Why did Elisha do the weird thing with the dead child? (In today’s world he would have been arrested)
So, if you check out next weeks study I will share with you the answers. Oh, you want the answers now? Okay.
You see what I just said to you to get a reaction. You were listening. I am going to comment why the fact of ‘listening’ was and is important. But first let us go over each question in order.
First, why wasn’t the father not over-concerned about the condition of his son?
As he was present in the fields he cried to his father, ‘My head, my head’, and presumably collapsed. The father immediately ordered a servant to carry the boy to his mother. He was probably not over-concerned, thinking that it was heat exhaustion or something similar.
The servant brought the boy to his mother who took him on her knees, but at noontide he died. The speed of the death is against it merely being sunstroke, especially as he would have been suitably dressed, and use to the sun.
Then the question arises as to why did the woman carry her dead child and put him in Elisha’s room?
The blow to the mother can be appreciated. But in this case the son was a special gift from God, and she was therefore sure that the man of God who had promised her the son would be able to do something about it.
So, she took her son up to the man of God’s room and laid him on the man of God’s bed, and then shut the door on him, closing it behind her. Placing a dead body on the prophet’s bed would defile it and make it unclean for any future use. The room then making it off limits to Elisha. Remember this point.
Twice in this chapter our Precious Holy Spirit gives us the answer as to why the mother did this and was so cool and calm. We read in verse 28, “28 So she said, “Did I ask a son of my lord? Did I not say, ‘Do not deceive me’?”
When Elisha wanted to bless this woman for her kindness and hospitality his servant Gehazi told him that the woman was barren. So, Elisha promised her a son would be born to her within a year from his statement to her. Her response was ‘do not deceive me with such a promise.’ To her surprise and happiness, a baby boy was born. The prophet overcame her doubt and by the Grace of God she brought forth a son – a heir for the family lineage. We see the Lord giving the woman wisdom in ‘listening’. She had heard the prophet promise and it came true so what was happening now could not mean the end of her boys’ life. Therefore, she knew and so responded, ‘It is well.’
. Why did our Lord God Yahweh hide what had happened to this woman’s child? Elisha having been anointed to take over Elijah’s role did not know all things and what to do in all situations. He didn’t do anything wrong for this to come about. Our Great and Loving Teacher wanted him to be ‘stretched’. We will see how awesome this situation is for Elisha and for his service to our Holy God Most High.
Before we get to this interesting happening we need to look as to why couldn’t Gehazi as instructed by Elisha bring the child back to life? Remember I said that by the woman placing her dead child in Elisha’s room the effect was that it was unclean and therefore off limits. We read these interesting instructions from our Great Master God;
Numbers 19 beginning with verse 11, “11 ‘He who touches the dead [d]body of anyone shall be unclean seven days. 12 He shall purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not be clean. 13 Whoever touches the body of anyone who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the LORD. That person shall be cut off from Israel. He shall be unclean, because the water of purification was not sprinkled on him; his uncleanness is still on him. 14 ‘This is the law when a man dies in a tent: All who come into the tent and all who are in the tent shall be unclean seven days; 15 and every open vessel, which has no cover fastened on it, is unclean. 16 Whoever in the open field touches one who is slain by a sword or who has died, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.17 ‘And for an unclean person they shall take some of the ashes of the heifer burnt for purification from sin, and running water shall be put on them in a vessel. 18 A clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water, sprinkle it on the tent, on all the vessels, on the persons who were there, or on the one who touched a bone, the slain, the dead, or a grave. 19 The clean person shall sprinkle the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, wash his clothes, and bathe in water; and at evening he shall be clean. 20 ‘But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person shall be cut off from among the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD. The water of purification has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean. 21 It shall be a perpetual statute for them. He who sprinkles the water of purification shall wash his clothes; and he who touches the water of purification shall be unclean until evening. 22 Whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and the person who touches it shall be unclean until evening.’
The light went on for Elisha when he arrived at the woman’s home. When he heard that the dead child was in his room and on his bed, it was unclean. He then remembered she had touched him by grabbing his ankles. So, even though he was a prophet of our Holy God he was unclean until evening so going now into the room didn’t matter.
So, I am sure you are asking then the big question and that is why did Elisha do the weird thing with the dead child? This is what I believe Elisha thought well Lord I kind of fell into this situation and here I am unclean now unsuitable to be your servant, and this is what I think you want me to do. I will totally give my whole self in being unclean. For by touching this dead boy totally with my body You Lord God must do something and raise him from the dead. If not, then I am finished as your servant. People will hear that I was made unclean by the touch of the woman who touched a dead body. Then I entered a room unclean from the fact that the dead boy was placed in which by the way happened to be my room. And finally, I totally became unclean without any doubt by my body totally touching this dead child’s.
We must ask ourselves the same question that would be considered against our Holy Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Remember when the little girl died, what did He do? We read the answer in the Gospel of Luke chapter 8, “49 While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the [r]Teacher.” 50 But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” 51 When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go [s]in except [t]Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl. 52 Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, “Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping.” 53 And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But He [u]put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Little girl, arise.” 55 Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat. 56 And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.
So, like the answer to be given in what our Great Master and King Jesus Christ did and also applies to Elisha’s act is, ‘Dead child? What are you talking about? The child was not dead but sleeping. There is the living child over there playing. Go see for yourselves.’
The lesson of the passage is clear, and it is that the living God had the power of life and death. He had brought about the birth of the boy, He had allowed the boy to die, and He had raised him up again. All life was in His hands from the cradle to the grave. The word would get out and that Is YHWH the only read and living God was totally sufficient for His people’s needs.
38 And Elisha returned to Gilgal, and there was a famine in the land. Now the sons of the prophets were sitting before him; and he said to his servant, “Put on the large pot, and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.”
Elisha arrived and was invited to join the sons of the prophets in having a community meal.
39 So one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered from it a lapful of wild gourds, and came and sliced them into the pot of stew, though they did not know what they were.
In this case one of the sons of the prophets found an unknown ‘vine’ and gathered its fruits. When they were brought back to the camp they were shredded with everything else, even though ‘they did not know them’. Possibly no one thought to ask, each what they were. The fact that it was unknown indicates that it was a rare plant, and it is therefore unlikely that we can identify it.
40 Then they served it to the men to eat. Now it happened, as they were eating the stew, that they cried out and said, “Man of God, there is death in the pot!” And they could not eat it.
Look at the statement ‘There is death in the pot.’ It would only be when the stew was tested and found to be inedible that questions would be asked, and it may well be that when that occurred the description indicated to a fellow son of the prophets rare ‘fruit’ which from past experience he knew to be poisonous.
41 So he said, “Then bring some flour.” And he put it into the pot, and said, “Serve it to the people, that they may eat.” And there was nothing harmful in the pot.
So Elisha called for some meal to be brought, and he himself cast it into the pot, and then declared it to be now perfectly safe. And so it turned out to be. And it was certainly a miracle of answered prayer.
The final point behind the story was that as the God of Creation, YHWH had full control over all vegetation, and could make of it what He would.
While the likeness to the account of the feeding of many thousands by Jesus with five loaves and two fish is limited to the fact of the multiplying of the food, this miracle clearly does not bear comparison with that in level of difficulty. But it was remarkable nonetheless. For when some of the first fruits were brought to Elisha, he fed a hundred men on twenty small barley loaves, with food left over. The fact that there was some left over demonstrates that it was not just a token meal or a making do with what was available. All ate and were satisfied.
42 Then a man came from Baal Shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the first fruits, twenty loaves of barley bread, and newly ripened grain in his knapsack. And he said, “Give it to the people, that they may eat.”
Baal-shalisha lay fourteen miles) north of Lydda in the plain of Sharon. From there came a man bearing some of the first fruits for ‘the man of God’. The man brought twenty barley loaves and some freshly plucked ears of grain in a sack. Elisha was present at a gathering of about one hundred men (probably mostly sons of the prophets, some of whom may have had their wives and children with them) and he therefore commanded that the bread be given to them so that they could eat.
43 But his servant said, “What? Shall I set this before one hundred men?” He said again, “Give it to the people, that they may eat; for thus says the LORD: ‘They shall eat and have some left over.’
The servant was astonished. So little before a hundred men? Elisha’s reply confirms that he is aware of how little it was, but he asserts that YHWH has promised that they will all eat sufficient and that some will be left over. The emphasis all though is on the miracle of so many being fed with so little.
44 So he set it before them; and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the LORD.
The result that in accord with YHWH’s prophetic utterance all of them ate of it and some was left over. Any attempt to remove the miraculous ignores the emphasis in the account and must be dismissed as ludicrous. The whole point of the story is that, unlike Baal, YHWH was able to take twenty loaves and multiply them as He wished. He was the Lord of bread and grain. We will accept that in some way it may have been a sacrament, but only because YHWH multiplied the bread so that all had enough. It was thus food from YHWH indeed, and fed both body and soul to the full.
It is also a reminder to us that He can take of us. Why do we doubt so much? He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. Than You Lord Jesus.
