(Part 1 in a series called "Signs of Famine, Steps of Faith.)
I want to take you back and do a quick overview of this chapter. Of course, we have greatly discussed vs. 1-7, of the recovering of the ax head, the cutting down of trees and obstacles that stand in our way of progessing in the direction of expansion. That’s what we’ve been seeking to do, and will continue to do so.
I want you to notice, though, what happens in response to God’s people moving in a progressing direction. In 6:8 it says, "THEN the king of Syria warred against Israel...." It was not until they started moving toward expansion and enlargement, that the enemy began to attack in an organized fashion. Many weeks ago the Lord showed me this, and taught me to be on guard against such tactics.
The king of Syria determined the place to be his attack area, but Elisha warned the king of Israel, and Israel escaped . This infuriated the king of Syria, and he thought there was a snitch in the ranks. But when he was told that it was Elisha the prophet who had warned the king of Israel, he sent men after him. They came by night with chariots, horses, and a great host.
When Elisha’s servant saw that, he was distressed and in despair, saying, "What shall we do?" Elisha replied, "Fear not; for they that be with us are more than they that be with them." In the natural, this wasn’t noticeable, but Elisha prayed that his servants eyes be opened, and when they were, he saw horses and chariots of fire round about them.
When the Syrians came down to get Elisha, he prayed that they be struck with blindness, which did happen, Elisha led them right into Samaria. He prayed that the Lord would open there eyes, and when he did, and they saw that they were in the midst of Samaria, God instructed Israel to show kindness to them, and feed them, and give them water, and then let them go.
And after this, v. 23 says, "So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel." They did not rise up in a blatant attack against them again, but the scriptures reveal that they did take action that put Israel, in Samaria, in very a very hard place.
That’s where our text picks up. And out of this text, I want us to look at some similarities between the situation and effects of what was happening in Samaria, and relate it to what we can, and sometimes do, see in the church. The Bible says in v. 24, that, "The king of Syria.....gathered all his host, and went up, and BESIEGED Samaria."
Now to "besiege" a city is not the same as "attacking" the city. We read how they decided not to enter into the land of Israel anymore. So they decided to "besiege" the city, which means "to set up round about and cut off their supplies." It speaks of separating you from your source, where things start drying up. It stops both the inflow and the outflow.
That’s what Satan desires to do in the church. He wants to cut off our life source, so that no life flows IN, and no life flows OUT. There’s not a fresh infusion of God’s life coming in, and there’s no taking of that life source out. Now, I could spend a long time just on that, but let me move on.
What had happened in Samaria, as a result of the besiegement of Syria, is exactly what happens in a church that experiences that kind of demonic ploy and tactic. The Bible says, "There was a great FAMINE in the land." And there were and are signs of that famine, that I believe we can relate over to our lives.
What are the SIGNS OF FAMINE? Before I mention specifics, let me just say that one thing that stood out to me was the contentment with which Israel sat in Samaria. I’ll discuss that more tonight as we explore the steps of faith. But it amazes me the people and the churches who are in a famine, who take no measures to restore the flow of life in their midst. It’s as if they adopt a "This is the way it’s going to be mentality."
But there are measures that we can, and should, take to restore the flow of the Spiritual life in our hearts and churches. I’ll cover it more tonight.
As for the Signs Of Famine, let me mention a few things to you.
1. The famine was so great that they began to sell and eat unthinkable items. One was a donkey’s head, which sold for 80 pieces of silver. The donkey is a stubborn animal, and they were eating a donkey’s head. And one of the things that people develop in time of Spiritual depravation and famine, is a Stubborn Mentality. In fact, as was the case here, that’s what they were feasting on. But, it always costs you when you have a stubborn mentality.
One of the worst things that could possibly happen, is for you to develop a spirit of stubbornness. And a spirit of stubbornness is a sign of Spiritual famine. Do you know how I know? Because the Spirit and Word of God does not produce stubbornness, but sensitivity!
A person feeding on God’s Spirit and Word will be sensitive to the direction and the directives which the Lord is declaring. But a stubborn mentality, and a spirit of stubbornness will keep you in the death grip of famine, and will soon deplete any chance of recovery, restoration, and renewal.
2. The second thing we see, is that they were selling dove’s dung. Now, there was a plant, or a root, called dove’s dung in Bible days, but that is not what is being talked of here. This is talking about.....dove’s dung! As sickening as that may seem, that’s what they were doing.
Now the dove is a type of the Holy Spirit. But the dove’s dung is not where the dove IS, but it’s where the dove WAS. So when people are in a Spiritual famine, they begin to focus on where the dove used to be. They begin to talk about how the dove USED to be there. Some people’s testimonies are nothing more than a celebration of dove’s dung. They are living off of the dove’s past presence.
3. Next, the king hears a woman call out in a plea of desperation, to which he replies, "If the Lord do not help thee, whence shall I help thee?" Now I see something here that I also believe is evidence of Spiritual famine in a church: There’s a sense of desperation that leaves those in authority and leadership feeling helpless.
When the king spoke to this woman about the Lord helping her, he was not making a faith-filled statement. He was stating that he was helpless to minister to her, and if the Lord didn’t do it, she would be out of luck! How many church leaders have been discouraged and quit, because the inflow of new life was cut off, leaving them stressed and depressed, and with a feeling of helpless-ness?
4. Look at this twofold dilemma, and yet another evidence of famine. The barnfloor was empty, and the winepress was dry. The barnfloor was where the wheat was kept, and this meant "no harvest." They had lived off of the past harvest, but there was no present harvesting being done.
When a church is in a famine, a sign is the status of the barnfloor. When there is no harvest being brought in, it is a sign of a famine. Also, the winepress was empty, which is a type of the fresh flow of the Spirit. Now, I’ve already talked about that with the dove’s dung, so I won’t spend a lot of time there. But if there was one area in this passage that gripped me, it was when the Lord said to me: "The barnfloor is barren, and the winepress is dry."
5. The famine was so bad, that they not only were eating donkey’s heads and dove’s dung, but people were literally killing, cooking, and eating their children. I see two things here. First, I see the depletion of the next generation. A decline in the youth is a result of Spiritual famine.
But not only that, secondly, we see that when there is a famine going on, and people are not feasting on the Word of God and Hid Spirit, they start chewing on each other. Paul’s admonition to the Galatians was not to consume one another by "biting and devouring one another," but to "Walk in the Spirit." The implication is that a sign of people not walking in the Spirit, will be chewing on their neighbors, and even their own families! It’s called Spiritual Canniballism!
I could go on and on in this passage. But let me give you one more thing and I’ll close for this morning.
6. When these two women made a covenant, they agreed to boil both of their children. But one relented, backed out of the contract, and hid her son. I can see that many times, when there is a desperation caused by famine, when a stubborn spirit, an empty barnfloor, and dry winepress abound, people will begin to want you to do something to get them out of it - usually something that they are not willing to do themselves!
All of those are SIGNS OF FAMINE!
