Just one day earlier, the king had heard the Word of God from the prophet Elisha: “Tomorrow… a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel” (7:1). But when the king hears the news that the Syrian camp has been abandoned, he doesn’t believe it. H...

The city was under siege, and outside the gates were four lepers. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place! Behind them was a city where they were not wanted. In front of them was a vast enemy army.

So, they evaluated their options...

We take up our last story from the life of Elisha in Samaria. The tactic of a siege was to form a camp around the entire city. No one could go in, and no one could come out. So, it wasn’t long before food was in short supply.

And when suppl...

The Syrian army wanted to kill the king of Israel, and when they were delivered into his hand, he could have destroyed them, but instead, he prepared a feast for them. Don’t miss how this story points us to Jesus Christ and the mercy we find in Hi...

You might be thinking, “I know that God is with me, but…” And you go back to all that is against you, and you end up as fearful as the servant before God opened his eyes. If that’s where you are, you may have been infected by an old faith-sapping ...

The servant did not see the full picture. He saw what was against him, but he did not see Who was for him. Elisha wants him to have peace, so he prays, “O LORD, please open his eyes” (6:17).

Paul says that we “walk by faith, not by sight” (...

God’s perfect knowledge is a wonderful comfort to His friends. But it infuriates His enemies. When the king of Syria heard that Elisha was revealing his plans, he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him” (6:13).

There ...

Here is another remarkable story from the life of Elisha, and this story is especially for all who are fearful. If you feel that darkness is closing in. If you are saying, “What am I going to do?” If you find it difficult to sleep at night, this s...

After being healed, Naaman wanted to show his gratitude. He brought a boatload of money, and so he said to Elisha, “Accept now a present from your servant” (5:15). But Elisha refused. And as Naaman headed home, Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, went after...

Naaman took offence at the command to go and wash. But did he hear the promise? Elisha said, “Wash, and be clean.”

Perhaps this is your position. There is something that God calls you to do and you don’t want to do it. Something Go...

Things didn’t go so well when Naaman met with Israel’s king: “When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, ‘Am I God… that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy?’” (5:7).

Elisha heard what was happ...

Naaman did not know God, but God brought someone who did know Him into Naaman’s life. She was a little girl, whose name we don’t even know.

This girl had learned in her early years about the God of the Bible. She knew that when Go...

The story of Naaman is another story from the life of Elisha. Naaman was known for his strength and courage in battle. With that reputation, he would have risen through the ranks until he became the “commander of the army.” Not many people reach t...

In the miracles of Elisha, we see two truths: God’s work continues despite our foolish mistakes, and God’s work advances despite our obvious inadequacies. These truths should have three effects in our lives.

1. They should humble us...

A farmer arrived with food for the sons of the prophets. These students are living through a famine, and this farmer says that he has brought “the firstfruits” of his harvest.

The students hope he has a really big farm! But the cart is almo...

How can God’s work continue when His people make so many mistakes? God protects us from the worst effects of our own folly. How does He do this? Here are two ways.

1. Sometimes God protects us by His direct intervention
Flour does...

The Bible is full of foolish mistakes: James and John wanting to call down fire on a Samaritan village. Peter drawing his sword in the Garden of Gethsemane. The disciples rebuking little children for coming to Jesus.

The amazing thing is th...

We are introduced here to a group of men known as “the sons of the prophets.” They lived in community and gave themselves to study and prayer. They brought the Word of God to the people.

It’s likely that Elisha was there often, teaching, me...

There is a marvellous picture here of how Christ gives new life to us. Elisha “lay on the child” and “stretched himself upon him” (4:34).

In the Old Testament law, touching a dead body would make you unclean. By stretching himself out over ...

Elisha was a great man of God. God worked through him in extraordinary ways. But the emphasis here is not on Elisha’s strength and power but on his limitations and weakness.

Notice what Elisha doesn’t know: “She is in bitter distress, and t...

Here we have every mother’s nightmare. The unimaginable sorrow of the death of a child. She laid the boy in Elisha’s room and told her husband that she was going to see the man of God. She said, “All is well” (4:23).

She rode her donkey as...

The first thing we are told about this woman is that she had been blessed financially. God had blessed her, and she wanted to bring blessing to others.

One way she could do this was to give hospitality to the prophet Elijah. Now she took i...

The story of the widow’s oil points us very wonderfully to our Lord Jesus. Think about what God did for her sons. He paid their debt. He saved them from slavery. He gave them a future. This is what God has done for us in Jesus Christ.

<str...

Let’s look at this story from the perspective of the two boys. It’s striking how often they are mentioned, and it is through their eyes that we see these two truths.

1. God works for our freedom
These two boys had quite...

Notice, there was something for this woman to do. God provided for her as she walked in faith and obedience. God is not limited by our faith or by our obedience, but He calls us to be actively engaged in the means by which He provides.

Elis...

There is something important here about how to help a person in need. The first question is, “What do you have?” What do you have that you could sell to pay this debt? God works with what He has already provided.

God is not limited...

This woman’s great loss opened a whole chapter of troubles. God’s law made provision for widows among God’s people, primarily through the extended family. But for whatever reason, this woman seems to have fallen through the net, and she was left w...

Many Christians are familiar with the story of Elijah the prophet, but fewer know the story of Elisha the prophet. Elijah is the better known of the two, but God’s people enjoyed more blessing in the days of Elisha than they ever did in the days o...

What promise is Peter talking about here? God has promised to judge the earth with fire, just as He once judged the earth with water.

You would expect the verse to say, “God is not slow in fulfilling his promise… He is patient with the unb...

If one day is like a thousand years with the Lord, then the average human life (70 years), would run 25 million years. That’s a long time!

Maybe you’re feeling the pressure of all the stuff you have to get done next week. But, if you had 7...