2 Kings 4:1

2 Kings 4:1 says, Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.  The widow of a prophet that Elijah knew to be a good man came to him and said her husband had died and his creditors had come to take her two sons as bondservants to pay off his debt.  This would have likely left her with no one to help support her.  Matthew Henry says that though prophets, or ministers today, should not be in debt that sometimes it happens but that it should never be because of living in luxury.  We should live content with what God provides for us.  Verse two adds, And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.  Elijah asked her what she wanted him to do, and then he asked her what she had in the house.  She said all she had was a pot of oil.  If people come to us for help today, I believe we should first pray about what to do, see what they have to work with, and then take the action that God leads us to take.  Verse three continues, Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.  Elisha told her to go borrow many pots from here neighbors.  This required obedience on her part even if she didn't see the purpose yet.  We need to obey God's guidance even if we don't see any physical proof for the need to do so.  Verse four concludes, And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.  Eisha told after she did so that she was to close her doors with her sons inside and pour out the oil into the empty vessels.  Again, this required faith on her part and was not being done for show to the world.  Sometimes, God does miraculous things in our lives that the world will never see happen, but that doesn't make them less real.  Verse five states, So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.  The widow did what Elisha told her to do, and we must do what God tells us to do today if we are going to be successful spiritually.  Verse six adds, And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.  When all the vessels were full, she asked her son to bring her another, and he said there wasn't another, and the oil stayed the same.  There was no need for it to flow if there was no place for it to be collected to be used. I don't believe that God is ever going to bless us with anything to waste.  Once He meets our needs, there will be nothing more provided just to be wasted.  Verse seven continues, Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.  She came and told Elisha what had happened.  He told her to go and sell the oil and pay off her debt and for her children and her to live off the rest of the sales money.  She acted in faith and God met her needs, just as He will for us today.  

2 Kings 3:20

2 Kings 3:20 says, And it came to pass in the morning, when the meat offering was offered, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.  After the meat offering the next morning, which were offered before the water came, the valley was filled with water.  We should not wait until after our prayers are answered and our needs are met to worship God, but we should worship Him even as we wait.  Verse twenty-two adds, And when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight against them, they gathered all that were able to put on armour, and upward, and stood in the border.  The Moabites armed all the men who were able to fight and waited for the people of Israel at the border.  Those who oppose Christianity today are always going to be armed and ready to fight against Christian beliefs.  Verse twenty-two continues, And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood:  When the Moabites saw the sun reflecting off the water, it looked red as blood.  Verse twenty-three states, And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.  They thought the water was full of the blood of the people of Israel who had opposed them and that they had killed each other, so they said it was time to go and claim the spoil.  They were making a false assumption and basing their actions on it, and so do people today who think that God's word is wrong.  Verse twenty-four adds, And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them: but they went forward smiting the Moabites, even in their country.  When the Moabites got to the camp of the Israelites, the Moabites were slain, or they fled.  We may not immediately be victorious over the enemies of God today, but we can be certain that one day they will be sent from God's presence into everlasting destruction.  Verse twenty-five continues, And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good trees: only in Kirharaseth left they the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.  Moab was completely destroyed, even having their wells stopped up.  The same complete destruction is one day coming to all those who do not accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord.  Verse twenty-six says, And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too sore for him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew swords, to break through even unto the king of Edom: but they could not.  The king of Moab took seven hundred men and attempted to break through to the king of Edom to save himself, but he couldn't.  He was more interested in self-preservation than he was about the rest of Moab it would seem, but he was unsuccessful.  Those who oppose God are always going to be interested in self-preservation more than they are about the safety of others I believe.  Verse twenty-seven adds, Then he took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall. And there was great indignation against Israel: and they departed from him, and returned to their own land.  The king offered his son as a burnt sacrifice and the people were indignant to Israel then and they left the king and returned to their own land.  People are still sacrificing their children to false gods today, sometimes even killing the unborn in the name of the god of self-will or pleasure. 

2 Kings 3:9

 2 Kings 3:9 says, So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they fetched a compass of seven days' journey: and there was no water for the host, and for the cattle that followed them.  As the army was travelling, they almost died of thirst.  If we are engaged in a spiritual war today, we must rely on the Holy Spirit for guidance and strength so that we are filled with the Living Water. and never thirst.  Verse ten adds, And the king of Israel said, Alas! that the Lord hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab!  The king of Israel said that God had called them together simply to let them die or be defeated by the Moabites.  We should never lose faith in God when things start to look bad in life.  Verse ten continues, But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may enquire of the Lord by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah.  Jehoshaphat asked if there was not a prophet of God that they could inquire of God from.  Looking to God should always be our first step in finding solutions in life today.  One of the servants of the king of Israel told him there was Elisha.  If people are looking for guidance from God today, He will always have someone able to point the way to them.  Verse twelve states, And Jehoshaphat said, The word of the Lord is with him. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.  Jehoshaphat said the word of God was with Elisha, so he and the other two kings went down to him.  They didn't demand that he come to them, just as we cannot demand that God send His messenger to us today because we feel more important than them.  Verse thirteen adds, And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay: for the Lord hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab.  Elisha asked the king of Israel why he didn't inquire of the prophets of his father and mother, but the king of Israel said that the LORD had called the three kings together.  Of course, if God has called us together to do His work, and we are encountering difficulties, we don't have to go to someone else to find out what He wants us to do.  We simply need to go to Him in faith.  Verse fourteen continues, And Elisha said, As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee.  Elisha said if it weren't for Jehoshaphat being with them that he would have nothing to do with them.  Even if people have stood in defiance to God in the past, I don't believe that we can ever afford to tell them that we will have nothing to do with them if they sincerely come to us seeking God's direction, but it is also possible that Jehosaphat was the only one of the three who really was.  Verse fifteen declares, But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him.  Elisha asked for a minstrel and as he played, the hand of the LORD came upon him.  Music has always had an important part in the worship of God, and it should lead us to a closer attitude of worship today when we play and sing.  Verse sixteen adds, And he said, Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches.  Elisha told them to make the valley full of ditches.  This might have seemed a strange request to people dying of thirst, but I believe it was made to show their willingness to do what God said without any sight that it was going to do any good.  We should never question God's reasons for having us do something today but should simply respond in faith and not by sight.  Verse seventeen continues, For thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts.  Elisha said that God had said that they would not see any rain nor feel any wind, but after they filled the valley with ditches, God would fill the valley with water for them and their animals.  I believe this was so that they would know that it was God Who had done this.  I also believe that when God is at work in the world today that we as followers of Christ will always know that He alone could have brought about the result.  Verse eighteen says, And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand.  Elisha said that filling the valley with water was an easy thing for God, just as anything He does in the world today for His people is.  Elisha also said that God would deliver the Moabites into their hands.  We may come to God today because we are spiritually thirsty, but He has already given us the everlasting victory over sin and death if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  Verse nineteen adds, And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.  Elisha told them that they were to totally destroy everything of the Moabites, just as we as Christians should destroy everything that stands between us and doing God's will today.  We cannot leave a few sins in our lives and be successful as followers of Christ. 

2 Kings 3:1

2 Kings 3:1 says, Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.  After Ahab was killed, his son Jehoram began to reign in Israel, and he reigned for twelve years.  This was a fairly long time compared to some of the kings, especially since he did evil in God's sight as we will see.  Some evil rulers do stay in power longer than others. God does not always immediately remove them.  Verse two adds, And he wrought evil in the sight of the Lord; but not like his father, and like his mother: for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made.  Jehoram at least removed the image of Baal from being worshipped.  He removed but did not destroy the image of Baal and did not stop the worship of Baal in Israel.  He was going through cosmetic changes without a real change of heart toward worshipping God alone.  We cannot be saved by just changing what we appear to worship.  We can put away physical idols without destroying them in case we need to fall back on them later, but that will never be enough.  We must acknowledge that God alone is God and destroy any idol in our life to truly be saved.  Verse three continues, Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.  Jehoram continued to follow the sinful ways of Jeroboam who had led Israel into sin by worshipping idols, even if they weren't of Baal.  Just getting rid of one, or even some idols in our life and still worshipping others is always going to lead us away from God.  Verse four states, And Mesha king of Moab was a sheepmaster, and rendered unto the king of Israel an hundred thousand lambs, and an hundred thousand rams, with the wool.  Mesha, the king of Moab, had given the king of Israel a hundred thousand lambs and a hundred thousand rams during Ahab's reign.  Matthew Henry says this was a tribute, or tax, paid to Israel by Moab.  Verse five adds, But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.  After Ahab died, Mesha rebelled against Israel.  When rulers change today, other countries who have been under their authority may rebel against them.  Verse six continues, And king Jehoram went out of Samaria the same time, and numbered all Israel.  Jehoram at this time numbered Israel.  It seems the kings often wanted to count the number of people in Israel, sometimes without God directing them to.  We need to know that there are other Christians in the world, but never simply to brag about or rely on the number that there is.  Verse seven says, And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses.  Jehoram went to Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah and asked him for help against Moab.  We should always ask our fellow Christians for help if we need it, as long as we are following God's will.  Verse eight adds, And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way through the wilderness of Edom.  Jehoshaphat agreed to go with him and asked which way they should go and Jehoram said by the way of the wilderness.  We aren't told that anyone consulted God about this, even though these were all a part of God's chosen people.  Unless we are following God's direction, we may be wandering around in the wilderness of sin.

2 Kings 2:19

2 Kings 2:19 says, And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren.  After Elisha became Elijah's replacement as a prophet, the people of Jerico told him that there was little water in in city and that the ground was barren, even though it was a pleasant city.  The people accepted him as a prophet and came to him for help.  If a preacher or teacher is replaced in the church today, we need to accept them unless they begin to teach or preach something that goes against God's word.  Verse twenty adds, And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him.  Elisha had them bring him a new cruise, or bottle, full of salt, which would imply there may have been water but that it needed purifying.  If this were the case, a bottle full of salt wouldn't purify much unless God worked through it.  Our works today in and of themselves may seem insignificant, but if we are doing what God calls us to do, He can bring about great results.  Verse twenty-one continues, And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the Lord, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land.  Elisha took the salt to the spring or source of the waters, cast it in, and said that the LORD said He had healed the waters, and they would no longer bring death or leave the land barren.  When we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we have the Living Water flowing through us and should no longer be spiritually thirsty or barren.  Verse twenty-two concludes, So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake.  The water was healed, or made pure, as Elisha said it would be, but it was God Who purified it.  We cannot heal anyone of their sin, but we can tell them about Jesus Christ Who can.  Verse twenty-three states, And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.  As Elisha was on his way to the city of Bethel the children met him and began to mock him, pointing out his baldness.  Matthew Henry says that since they couldn't assassinate his character, they condemned his physical looks.  People still do the same thing today, trying to dismiss our witnessing for Christ based on our physical appearance.  Verse twenty-four adds, And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. Elisha turned back and cursed them in the name of the Lord.  I believe that he was condemning their actions toward a man of God and not just acting from a personal anger toward them.  We need to be careful that we don't allow personal feelings to guide our actions toward others.  Two female bears came out of the woods and killed forty-two children.  Again, this wasn't simply because they were taunting Elisha, but was because they were taunting God as well.  Those who will not put their faith in God and believe His word will one day face the ultimate destruction, which is an everlasting separation from God.  Verse twenty-five continues, And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.  Elisha went on to Mount Carmel and then returned to Samaria.  We need to continue to do what God calls us to do and go where God sends us, no matter what obstacles we may encounter along the way.

2 kings 2:11

2 Kings 2:11 says, And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.  As Elijah and Elisha were walking long and talking, a chariot and horses of fire came between them, and Elijah was taken up in a whirlwind.  Matthew Henry says that Elijh went up in the chariot of fire aided by the whirlwind, but to me it seems that the chariot of fire separated him from Elisha and went ahead of him, and the whirlwind carried him up.  Either way, he like Enoch never faced physical death, even though he had once asked God to just let him die.  As I have stated before, those who are alive when Jesus Chrost returns will not face physical death, but it is really spiritual death, or everlasting separation from God that really matters.  Verse twelve adds, And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.  Elisha saw Elijah being taken up, and Elijah had told him if he did, that his request for a double portion of the Spirit of God would be granted.  Matthew Henry says this wasn't a double portion of the Spirit that Elijah had but of the rest of the prophets.  Either way, it wasn't for Elisha's glory, but for God's.  We as Christians all have the same access to the Holy Spirit, since He comes to indwell us all.  Elisha then cried out to God, his heavenly Father, and tore his clothes in two.  Verse thirteen continues, He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;  Elisha then took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him and put it on.  I don't believe that we are going to have actual clothes of those we replace in doing God's work, but we do need to take up the task that they were doing if God has called us to replace them.  Verse fourteen states, And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.  Elisha then took Elijah's mantle and hit the waters of the Jordan asking where the God of Elijah was.  He may have been looking for a physical conformation that God was still with him, and he got one when the waters parted as they had for Elijah.  It was God Who parted the waters in both cases.  I don't believe that we as followers of Christ should need physical signs that God is with us but must simply live by faith that He is.  Verse fifteen adds, And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.  When the other prophets saw the water part, they said the spirit of Elijah rested on Elisha and came and bowed down to him.  They were wrong in their assumption and their actions.  It was God's Spirit that rested on Elisha and not Elijah's spirit and they should not have bowed down to him, but to God alone.  We cannot inherit the spirit of anyone else, but as Christians are all empowered by the same Holy Spirit.  Verse sixteen continues, And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the Lord hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send.  These other prophets asked Elisha for permission to go and look for Elijah in case God had taken him up but then cast him down somewhere. but Elisha forbade them to go.  We don't need to look for things that would imply that God has not completed something that He set out to do.  Elisha had actually witnessed Elijah being taken up into heaven.  Verse seventeen says, And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not.  When they continued to urge Elisha to send them to look, he gave in and told them to go.  I really don't believe that Elisha should have given in to the pressure when he already knew the truth, and neither should we today.  Fifty men looked for three days and did not find Elijahs's body, because it wasn't there.  People today still spend a lot of wasted time trying to disprove the truth of God's word.  Verse eighteen adds, And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not?  When they returned without finding Elijah or his body, Elisha, who had remained at the Jordan asked them had he not told them not to go.  If people are looking to disprove God's word today, we certainly do not need to join them, and they will one day have to acknowledge defeat. 

2 Kings 2:1

2 Kings 1:1 says, And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.  God would took Elisha up in a whirlwind.  He never faced physical death, just as those followers of Christ who are alive when Jesus returns will not face death, but will be caught up into heaven in the twinkling of an eye.  Before this, Elijah went to Elisha from Gilgal.  Verse two adds, And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.  Elijah told Elisha to tarry there, but that God was sending him to Bethel.  Elisha, who had been following Elijah, basically took an oath to not leave Elijah, even though he had been asked to.  We need to be careful that our devotion to a particular person does not keep us from obey God's commands to us.  Verse three continues, And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.  The other prophets at Bethel asked Elisha if he didn't know that God was going to take away Elijah that day, and he said that he did.  He also told them to hold their peace.  When we know God's plan, even if we may not like it from a personal perspective, we need to be at peace with it.  Verse four states, And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.  Elijah asked Elisha to stay at Bethel because God had sent Elijah to Jerico, but once again Elisha refused to stay.  If God had told Elijah to tell Elijah to go and Elisha to stay, Elisha was disobeying God, but Elijah never really said God had told Elisha to stay.  Verse five adds, And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.  Once more, Elisha was asked by the sons of the prophets, this time in Jericho, if he didn't know that God was going to take away his master that day, and he again said yes and for them to hold their peace.  As stated, once we know God's plan, we need to simply be at peace with it.  Verse six continues, And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.  Once more, Elijah attempted to get Elisha to stay behind while he went to Jordan, and once again Elisha refused to leave him.  We have to be certain that what we as Christians are telling others is God's word and not our own desire, and as we listen to others proclaim God's word we must make sure that it is His word.  I cannot say who was not strictly following God's command in this, but both could not have been.  Verse seven says, And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.  Fifty other sons of the prophets stood far off and watched Elijah and Elisha as they stood by the Jordan.  Sometimes, all we can do is stand and watch what God is doing through the lives of other Christians.  Verse eight adds, And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.  Elijah used his mantle to part the waters of the Jordan and Elisha and he went over on dry land.  Matthew Henry says this was a preface to Elijah's translation into heaven just as the parting of the Jordan preceded the Israelites journey into Canaan.  At the second coming of Christ, those of His people who are still here will be miraculously translated up into heaven, just as Jesus was before them.  Verse nine continues, And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.  After crossing over, Elijah asked Elisha what he could do for him before he was taken away.  Elisha did not ask for riches, power, or honor, but only that he be blessed with a double portion of God's spirit.  This is the best that we can ask for today from our spiritual mentors, and not so that we may be more glorified than they were, but that we might be even more effective in doing God's work for His honor and glory.  Verse ten concludes, And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.  Elijah basically said that Elisha was asking something that he could not give.  God's Spirit cannot be given to one person by another.  Still, Elijah told Elisha if he saw him when he was taken up that God would grant his request and if he didn't see him, God wouldn't.  Then, Elisha would have to be satisfied whichever happened.  If God's will is being done, we as Christians need to be satisfied whether it is what we personally wanted or not.