2 Kings 6:24

2 Kings 6:24 says, And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria.  After the Syrians left, Benhadad gathered all his troops and besieged Samaria.  They had forgotten the kindness that the people of Isarel had shown them the last time they invaded.  People will often forget the kindness Christians have shown them and once again begin to attack them.  Verse twenty-five adds, And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver.  There was a famine in Samaria, and any food available became very expensive.  The only way we can have a famine of God's word, the bread of life, in America is if we choose to, though in some other countries it is hard to come by.  Still, even in the lack of a Bible, I believe that God will reveal His truth to us.  Verse twenty-six continues, And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O king.  When the king of Israel was passing by her on the wall, he heard a woman call out.  The king was at least out and active among his troops.  As we are out doing God's word today, if someone calls out to us for help. we need to heed their call.  Verse twenty-seven states, And he said, If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress?  Of course, the king pointed out that if God wasn't going to help them, what did he have to offer.  If God is not with us as followers of Christ, then we have little to offer anyone spiritually.  We cannot feed others with what we do not possess ourselves.  Verse twenty-eight adds, And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and we will eat my son to morrow.  The king asked her what was wrong, and she said that another woman and she had made a deal to eat her son one day and the other's son the next day.  It is hard to imagine any mother who would do this, much less two mothers.  No matter how bad things may be, we can never give in to evil in order to save ourselves physically.  Verse twenty-nine continues, So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son.  The woman said they killed and boiled her son and ate him. The next day, when she asked the woman for her son, she hid him instead of killing him to be eaten.  Some people are still willing to eat of what others have gained outside of God's will, but they are unwilling to share the burden of it willingly.  Verse thirty declares, And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh.  When the king heard this, he put on sackcloth in mourning what had happened.  I don't believe that he condoned either action.  When we know that something has been gained by sinful actions, we should never condone it, and we certainly shouldn't condone actions that would lead to further sin.  Verse thirty-one adds, Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.  Of course, the king then went far astray, blaming Elisha for their situation and vowing to kill him before the day was over.  When Christians are speaking God's word and something goes wrong in the world, people are quick to blame them for the calamity.  Still, all we can do if we are to be obedient to God is to continue to speak His truth.  Matthew Henry points out that the king did not blame his sins or the sins of the people, but he blamed the one that spoke God's truth.  Verse thirty-two continues, But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him; and the king sent a man from before him: but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head? look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door: is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?  Elisha was sitting with the elders when he acknowledged that the king wanted his head and had sent messengers to take him to the king.  He told them to shut the door and keep it closed.  If we are following the leadership of the Holy Spirit, we should never be caught off guard spiritually.  As believers, we must support one another in the fight against evil and do our best to keep evil locked out of our lives.  Verse thirty-three concludes, And while he yet talked with them, behold, the messenger came down unto him: and he said, Behold, this evil is of the Lord; what should I wait for the Lord any longer?  When the messenger got there, he said the evil was coming from the LORD and why should he wait on the LORD any longer.  We can be certain that evil will never come from God, and we should never blame Him if we are suffering from the effects of evil in the world.

2 Kings 6:17

2 Kings 6:17 says, And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.  When the yoiung man was still worried about being outnumbered, Elisha asked God to open his eyes so he could see.  This was spiritual sight, and when he gained it, he saw the mountain full of horses and chariots.  If we are afraid in a particular situation, we need to pray that God will open our eyes so that we may see spiritually.  The view should then be different when we see the power of God more than the physical circumstances.  Verse eighteen adds, And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.  When these people came down, Elisha asked God to make them blind and God did.  Matthew Henry says they were not totally blind, but that thy could not see well enough to distinguish places or other people.  The people of the world today are not totally blind physically, but they are blind spiritually and cannot distinguish truth from lies.  Verse nineteen continues, And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria.  Elisha, whom they were seeking, told them that this wasn't the way nor the city that they sought, so follow him and he would lead them to where they wanted to be, and he led them to Samaria.  Of course, if we tell lost people today that they are going the wrong way, we don't need to lead them into further danger but must lead them to Jesus Christ and pray that their eyes will be spiritually opened.   Verse twenty states, And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.  When they got to Samaria, Elisha asked God to open their eyes so that they could see, and when He did, they saw that they were in the middle of Samaria.  At some point, God is going to open the eyes of everyone so they can see the truth spiritually.  We can only lead them to that point.  Verse twenty-one adds, And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?  When the king of Israel saw them, he deferred to Elisha, calling him his father, and asked if he should kill the Syrians.  We must always defer to God when we are dealing with lost people, even those who would destroy us.  It is still our responsibility to bring them to Jesus, and then it is up to God and them what happens.  Verse twenty-two continues, And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.  Elisha told the king not to kill them, and asked if he would kill those he had captured in battle.  He then told the king to feed them and send them back to their master.  We are not called to destroy non-believers, but to bring them to Christ and feed them spiritually.  We then have to allow them to return to their lives, and it is up to them who their master will be.  It will either be Jesus Christ or Satan.  We need to pray that they will choose Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty-three concludes, And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.  After feeding them a big meal and giving them something to drink, the king sent them back home and they no longer came into the land of Israel.  If we are kind to our enemies today, it doesn't mean that they will no longer seek to harm or destroy us, but it is more likely than if we treat them terribly.  Still, the only way to really live at peace with them is if they accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord, and this is what we should always hope for.

2 Kings 6:8

2 Kings 6:8 says, Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp.  The king of Syria decided to go to war against Israel and decided where to set up his camp.  It seems that more and more people have decided to go to war against Christians today, and they have set up their camps all around us.  Still, we should never live in fear of them.  Verse nine adds, And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down.  Elisha sent word to the king of Israel not to pass by where the king of Syria had set up camp because he knew he was there.  God is not going to allow us to go into a dangerous situation today unprepared if we are listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, though we may still sometimes be led into a dangerous situation.  We should just always be prepared for the outcome no matter what it is because we are forever secure with God.  Verse ten continues, And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.  The king of Israel avoided this place more than once and thereby saved himself by listening to the warning from God though Elisha.  If we are warned by the Holy Spirit today to avoid certain situations, we need to listen and obey the warning.  Verse eleven states, Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?  The king of Syria thought someone must be warning the king of Israel about his plans and basically asked if he were not the one in charge and if people were being unfaithful to him.  Those who plot against God today are often going to be frustrated when their plans fail and are not going to realize that God is the One spoiling their plans.  Verse twelve adds, And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.  One of the king's servants told him that none of his people were betraying him, but that Elisha the prophet knew what he was planning even in the privacy of his bedroom.  There is no place that people can plot against God and His people where He will not know what they are doing.  Verse thirteen continues, And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.  The king sent someone to find out where Elisha was so he could get him, and he was told that Elisha was in Dothan.  He thought he could capture Elisha without him knowing what was happening.  If we are a follower of Christ today, no one should ever be able to catch us spiritually unaware of what is happening in life.  Verse fourteen declares, Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.  The king of Syria then sent horses, chariots, and many men to surround Dothan.  He thought that a large powerful force would ensure victory.  The people of the world today still believe that numbers and force will allow them to be victorious over God and His people.  Verse fifteen adds, And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?  When they saw that the city was surrounded, Elisha's servant asked him what they were going to do in the face of all this force against them.  He was looking at the opposition instead of looking to God by faith, and we can never afford to do that as Christians.  Our focus must always be on God and not the things of this world, no matter how strong they may seem.  Verse sixteen continues, And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.  Elisha told his servant to not be afraid, because those with them were more than enough to keep them safe.  Matthew Henry says that Elisha saw angels all around them, even though we really aren't told this yet.  I believe that Elisha just knew that noting was more powerful than God and that He was with them no matter what.  This should be our attitude today as well.  We need to focus on God and believe that He will bring spiritual victory no matter what the situation may look like as long as we remain faithful to Him.

2 Kings 6 :1

2 Kings 6:1 says, And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us.  The sons of the prophets came to Elisha complaining about their accommodations.  They said the place he stayed was too strait, or small for all of them to stay there.  Matthew henry says this was a good thing because it meant the number of prophets was going.  It would be nice if we outgrew our places of worship today because new Christians were being added.  Verse two adds, Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye.  They proposed going to the Jordan, with every man carrying some supplies, and building a place for themselves there, and Elisha told them to go.  Today, if the congregation is growing too large for the building, maybe instead of adding on we need to start a new work elsewhere.  Of course, if we do, we must be willing to provide the necessary things needed to build it.  Matthew Henry says they could have asked the government for what they wanted, but the were simple men with simple needs and were going to provide for themselves with Elish's blessing.  We should never look to others to provide for us what we can provide for ourselves, and we should never want opulence when doing God's work.  Verse three continues, And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go.  They invited Elisha to go with them, and he said he would.  This would imply that in this case they abandoned the old place, but it was evidently more of a place to gather as prophets than a place of worship exclusively.  Verse four concludes, So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood.  Elisha went with them, and when they got to the Jordan, they began to cut down trees.  They were willing to do the physical labor, and so must we be willing today.  Verse five states, But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.  As one of the men was cutting down a tree his borrowed axe fell into the river.  This could have caused him a lot of problems.  Even when we are doing God's work, we may at times encounter problems.  Verse six adds, And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim.  Elisha asked the man where the axe fell in, cut a stick and threw it in and the stick swan, or floated to the surface with the axe.  Though we may never experience a miracle like this, with God all things are possible.  Verse seven continues, Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.  Elisha told the man to take the axe, and he did.  This still required some involvement on the man's part, and even if God is performing a miracle today, He may allow us to be a part of bringing it about.

2 Kings 5:20

2 Kings 5:20 says, But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, as the Lord liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him.  Though Elisha didn't take any reward or payment from Naaman for God's curing him of leprosy, his servant Gehazi swore by God that he would take something for himself.  There are still people today who want to be rewarded materially for things that God has done, but we as followers of Christ never should.  Verse twenty-one adds, So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well?  When Naaman saw Gehazi following him, he got down from his chariot and asked him if everything was well.  He was more concerned about Gehazi than Gehazi was about him.  We should always be concerned about the welfare of others who come to us, even if it turns out that they are up to no good.  I don't believe that we should ever just ignore or dismiss them without any concern for them.  Verse twenty-two adds, And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets: give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments.  Gehazi then lied to Naaman.  He told him Elisha had sent him to ask for some silver and two changes of garments for two young men who were sons of the prophets who had come to Elijah for help.  He may have figured Naaman wouldn't give him anything if he asked just for himself but thought that he wouldn't deny Elisha if had suddenly changed his mind about the reward.  People today still often attempt to disguise the fact that they are really asking us to donate to them by saying it is for some need that they have in order to do God's work.  Verse twenty-three continues, And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bare them before him.  Naaman gave Gehazi even more than he asked for, giving him two talents of silver and the two changes of clothes.  People will sometimes be generous in their giving to someone who claims that what they are asking for is to be used for others or even to be able to carry out God's work, but we as Christians need to be careful if we ask someone for help that it is actually so that God's work can continue and not just enrich ourselves.  Matthew Henry points out that Gehazi was in danger of causing Naaman to turn away from God by asking for this reward that had first been refused.  Greed on the part of God's people can still cause lost people to turn away from Him.  Verse twenty-four states, And when he came to the tower, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house: and he let the men go, and they departed.  Naaman had sent two servants to bring the gifts, and when they got to Gehazi's house, he took it from them and sent them back to Naaman, thinking that he had succeeded in his deception.  He wasn't going to tell Elisha and those who could were gone.  Even if we think so, we are never going to fool God, which was the ultimate challenge for Gehazi.  Verse twenty-five adds, But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither.  When Gehazi again stood before Elisha and was asked where he had been, he lied again and said he hadn't been anywhere.  One lie often leads to another when we need to hide the truth about the first lie.  Verse twenty-six continues, And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants?  Elisha told Gehazi he knew what he had done and asked him if doing God's work was a time to be rewarded materially, no matter how great the reward might be.  We should never attempt to profit from doing what God has called us to do if He does something great through us.  God must always get the glory and we must acknowledge that He will always meet our needs but won't necessarily provide for our wants.   Verse twenty-seven concludes, The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.  Gehazi had wanted to receive something from Naaman for what God had done, and he did.  He became a leper himself.  We may not aways suffer physically from misusing God's work through others or ourselves, but we will always be made impure spiritually if we do so.

2 Kings 5:9

2 Kings 5:9 says, So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.  Naaman came with his horses and chariots to Elisha and stood before his door.  I don't know if he thought his display of power would influence Elisha or if he just didn't feel safe coming alone.  I do know that when we come to God through putting our faith in Jesus Christ that our position in the world will not impress Him and we must always come alone.  Verse ten adds, And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.  Elisha did not even come to Nathan but sent a messenger to him telling him to go and wash in the Jordan seven times.  Elisha evidently was not impressed nor intimidated by Nathan, and neither should we be by anyone when sharing the gospel today.  Elisha's message was simple, but it required obedience and action on Nathan's part.  The gospel message is also simple, and it too requires obedience and action on the part of each individual if they are to be cleansed of the penalty of their sins.  Verse eleven continues, But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.  Nathan was mad, because Elisha had not done what he expected him to do.  He thought Elisha would come out to him, wave his hand over him, and call on God and he would be healed.  He actually wasn't expecting to have to do anything himself but be near Elisha.  For some people, the gospel is too simple, and they reject it because they expect to have to do more than just believe.  I know in this case Nathan was asked to do more, but I believe that was to show that he truly believed that Elisha spoke God's word and would humble himself to obey him.  We can only come to God by humble obedience to Jesus Christ and faith in Him as the only way to salvation.  Verse twelve continues, Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.  Nathan asked if there were not rivers near Damascus with better water than all the waters in Israel that he could wash in, and he went away in a rage.  He still thought Damascus was better than Israel and people still look for a better way to salvation today thinking that they have a better way than faith in Jesus Christ, and they either go away mad or disappointed in the simplicity of the gospel.  Verse thirteen states, And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?  Nathan's servants had a better understanding than Nathan did.  They asked him if Elisha had told him to do some great thing would he not have done it, so why would he not do something simple like washing seven times in the Jordan.  People today would still like for salvation to require more than just faith that Jesus Christ died for their sins and acceptance of this fact.  Verse fourteen adds, Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.  When Nathan did what Elisha told him to do, he was healed of his leprosy.  When we do what the gospel tells us to do, we will be healed of the penalty of our sins and will become babies in Christ spiritually.  Verse fifteen continues, And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant. Nathan had left Elisha's place angry, but he returned grateful.  We may be angry when we first hear the gospel because it seems to simple, but if we believe and put our faith in it, we should return to God grateful for His salvation plan making us whole spiritually.  Nathan said he now knew that there was no god but the God of Israel, and we must come to the realization that there is but one real God in order to be saved.  Nathan also offered to reward Elisha for what he did.  Verse sixteen says, But he said, As the Lord liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused.  Elisha refused Nathan's reward, and so should we if someone attempts to pay us for sharing the gospel today.  Like Elisha, we are just the messenger, and all the glory should go to God and not to us.  Verse seventeen adds, And Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules' burden of earth? for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the Lord.  Nathan then said he would no longer worship any God but the God of Israel and then asked for two loads of dirt from Israel on which to build an altar to God, as Matthew Henry says not really understanding that God is the God of the whole earth, and the dirt of Israel was no more sacred than any dirt anywhere.  We should never believe that God is limited to a particular place, because He is the God of the whole universe.  Verse eighteen continues, In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon: when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing.  He also asked that God pardon him when he went into the house of Rimmon and bowed down.  He knew that he would be required to do this by the king, and he didn't want to oppose him.  We cannot go through the motions of worshipping other gods as Christians, but we must reject them outright and stand for God alone.  Verse nineteen concludes, And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way.  Elisha told Nathen to go in peace, but I don't really believe that this meant he agreed to Nathan's proposal.   I don't believe that we can ever have real peace with God as followers of Christ if we are attempting to allow other gods in our life, even if it would save us some problems in the world.  We must worship God alone and should never even go through the motions of worshipping another god, no matter what it costs us materially to refuse to do so.   

2 Kings 5:1

2 Kings 5:1 says, Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.  Naaman was the captain of the army of Syria, a great man of valor and honorable, and because of him, God had given deliverance to Syria.  One good and honorable man who follows God may lead to God's blessing of others.  Still, Naaman was a leper in spite of his good nature.  We as followers of Christ are not exempt from problems in life.  Verse two adds, And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife.  The Syrians had defeated and captured some of the Israelites, who were God's chosen people but who weren't acting like it.  We need to pray that people of the world are never doing more for God than Christians are.  There was a little girl among the captives, and she waited on Naaman's wife.  Verse three continues, And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.  The little girl told Naaman's wife that if he were with the prophet in Samaria that he would heal his leprosy, but it was really his God who would.  We need to always make sure that God, and not a preacher or teacher or anyone else, gets credit for the things that He does through us as Christians.  Verse four states, And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.  Someone went to Naaman and told him what the girl had said.  We likewise must go to the people of the world today with the gospel.  The sins of people are already forgiven through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, and if they believe in Him, they can be made spiritually whole.  Verse five adds, And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.  The king of Syria told Naaman to go to the prophet and he would send a letter to the king of Israel, and he also sent gold, silver and clothes with him.  I am not sure if these were to be used as gifts or to be used to attempt to buy God's blessing, but I do know that we should never attempt to profit materially from serving God or to buy His blessing.  Verse six continues, And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.  The king of Syria said he had sent Naaman to the king of Israel so that he might cure him of his leprosy, but the king of Israel did not have that power.  We need to realize that no person today has that power either.  Only God does.  Verse seven declares, And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.  The king of Israel was distraught because he said he didn't have that power, nor did he have faith in God to do it either.  If we are Christians in name only without any real faith in God, then we will often be distressed by things of the world.  The king of Israel thought the king of Syria was looking for a reason to go to war with him by asking him to do something he couldn't do, and he didn't look to God for the answer.  As followers of Christ, if someone asks something of us that seems impossible, we should first look to God for the answer.  Verse eight adds, And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.  When Elisha heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, he said let Naaman come to him and that he would know that there was a prophet of God in Israel.  We as Christians should always live in such a way in the world that people know there is only one true God and that we serve Him.