2 Kings 8:7

 2 Kings 8:7 says, And Elisha came to Damascus; and Benhadad the king of Syria was sick; and it was told him, saying, The man of God is come hither.  When Elisha came to Damascus, Benhadad the king was sick and he was informed that the man of God was there.  If we are sick today as Christians, the Holy Spirit will already be with us, so we don't have t wait for Him to come, and we need to pray for His help.  If we continue to live by faith, then no matter the outcome, we should be at peace.  Verse eight adds, And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go, meet the man of God, and enquire of the Lord by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?  Hazael was sent to Elisha to ask if the king would recover.  Once more, when someone was coming to Elisha for help, he seems to have often brought him a present.  As stated before, if someone comes to us for help today, we as followers of Christ should never expect to be paid, and we certainly shouldn't ask to be.  Verse nine adds, So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels' burden, and came and stood before him, and said, Thy son Benhadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?  When Hazael got to Elisha, he referred to Benhadad as Elisha's son, and asked if Benhadad would recover from his illness.  I don't know if he was attempting to flatter Elisha or this was a sign of respect for him, placing him in a position of honor over Benhadad.  When people come to us for help today, they may attempt to flatter us or place us in a position above themselves, but we never will be.  We are all sinners saved by grace, and we will always be brothers and sisters spiritually if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  Verse ten states, And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover: howbeit the Lord hath shewed me that he shall surely die.  Elisha said that Benhadad would certainly recover from the illness, but also that he would surely die.  These two things might seem to be contradictory, but they were two different things.  When we are saved, we recover from the penalty of sin, which is spiritual death, but we will still die physically if Jesus Christ doesn't return first, and these are two different things.  Verse eleven adds, And he settled his countenance stedfastly, until he was ashamed: and the man of God wept.  Matthew Henry says that Elisha looked at Hazael with great concern until he caused him to blush in shame and that Elisha himself then wept.  We need to have compassion on the people of the world today, and if we see that they are dying without accepting God's gift of salvation, then we should really be broken hearted and cry over their situation.  If we look on the lost people of the world with hatred or even with indifference, we are never going feel a compulsion to reach them for Jesus Christ.  Verse twelve continues, And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child.  Hazael asked Elisha why he was crying, and he said he knew the evil that would be done to the people of Israel by the Hazael, who at this point was not even king.  As Matthew Henry points out, this was going to occur because of the sins of Israel.  Even if we are Christians, if we stray away from God, He may allow us to be punished in this lifetime, even though we are forever saved.  Verse thirteen says, And Hazael said, But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The Lord hath shewed me that thou shalt be king over Syria.  Hazael asked Elisha if he was a dog that would cause him to say this, and Elisha told him that God had shown him that Hazael would be king of Syria and would do these things.  Still, Elisha did not refuse to share God's truth with him, and neither should we refuse to share the truth of the gospel with people today, even those who may want to destroy us.  Verse fourteen adds, So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master; who said to him, What said Elisha to thee? And he answered, He told me that thou shouldest surely recover.  When Hazael got back to Benhadad and was asked what Elisha said, he only told him part of what was said.  He told Benhadad that Elisha said he would recover from the illness, but not the part about him surely dying as well.  Had Benhadad gone to Elisha himself, he would have gotten the whole message and might have been prepared to face those who would destroy him.  We cannot be saved by sending others to Christ but must come to Him individually and we cannot be saved by just hearing part of the gospel.  Just believing that Jesus Christ lived and died on a cross is not enough.  We must also accept that He is the only begotten Son of God and that He died for our sins and rose again.  Verse fifteen continues, And it came to pass on the morrow, that he took a thick cloth, and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died: and Hazael reigned in his stead.  The next day, Hazael killed Benhadad and became the king himself.  What Elijah foretold happened, and God's word will always be true.  That means that one day Jesus Christ is going to return in judgment, and if we will either be saved by faith in Him, or we will be sent away to everlasting punishment.