2 Kings 8:16

2 Kings 8:16 says, And in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah, Joram, or Jehoram began to reign in Judah,  Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat began to reign in Judah.  Leaders continued to change in both kingdoms, just as they do in countries today.  Verse seventeen adds, Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.  Jehoram was thirty-two when he became king, and he reigned for eight years.  He should have been mature when he started to reign, and he didn't reign long enough to be mentally declining.  People in positions of power today are often in their prime mentally, but the doesn't mean that they rule with wisdom.  Verse eighteen continues, And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab: for the daughter of Ahab was his wife: and he did evil in the sight of the Lord.  Jehoram followed the ways of the kings of Israel, worshipping false gods instead of remaining true to the only real God.  He did this in part because he was married to Ahab's daughter.  He followed one of the good kings of Judah, but he chose to pattern himself after the evil king of Israel.  We as followers of Christ must be careful who we pattern our lives after.  Too often, if a Christian marries a non-Christian, the Christian will begin to follow the ways of the non-Christian, especially if it is the man who is the Christian.  This is especially wrong, since he is supposed to be the spiritual leader of the family.  Verse nineteen states, Yet the Lord would not destroy Judah for David his servant's sake, as he promised him to give him alway a light, and to his children.  God did not destroy Judah because of His promise to David, and he will not destroy us today because His salvation plan is still working and reaching some.  If there comes a time when it doesn't, I believe we can expect His judgment to come.  Verse twenty adds, In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves.  During Jehoram's reign, the people of Edom revolted and set up their own king.  They had been under the rule of Israel for over one-hundred and fifty years according to Matthew Henry, but now they chose to revolt.  When God's people are not following His will the opposition to them may become even stronger.  Verse twenty-one continues, So Joram went over to Zair, and all the chariots with him: and he rose by night, and smote the Edomites which compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots: and the people fled into their tents.  Jehoram, here called Joram, sent troops to put the rebellion down and was temporarily successful.  If we are acting without God's guidance, we may temporarily be successful in defeating sin on our own, but the victory will never be forever.  The only way to be permanently successful over sin is by putting our faith in Jesus Christ and following the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse twenty-two says, Yet Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time.  Not only did Edom successful revolt in the end, but the people of Libnah, a city in Judah, did so as well.  Joram was losing his power over even his own people.  If we stand in defiance to God, one day we will see how little power we really have.  Verse twenty-three adds, And the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?  This is all that we are told about Joram at this time, but as with all the kings, we are told that their actions are recorded in the chronicles of the kings.  It doesn't really matter what the people of the world remember about us, but only what God does.

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.

2 Kings 8:1

 2 Kings 8:1 says, Then spake Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn: for the Lord hath called for a famine; and it shall also come upon the land seven years.  When God revealed to Elisha that there was going to be a famine  in Israel, he called the woman whose son he had raised to him, and he then told her to take her household and depart wherever she could go and live during this time of famine that God had said was coming.  We need to warn people of the spiritual famine that exists today, but instead of telling them to go anywhere looking for survival, we need to tell them to come to Jesus Christ in order to be spiritually filled.  Verse two adds, And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God: and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.  The woman obeyed Elisha and went to live in the land of the Philistines for seven years.  Of course, in order to be saved a person must obey the call to Christ, and then they will not just be saved for a period of time, but forever.  Verse three continues, And it came to pass at the seven years' end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land.  After seven years, when the famine was over, the woman returned and went to the king and asked that her house and land be restored to her.  She had not sold it but had only abandoned it for a time.  Once we are saved, salvation is ours forever, even if we do stray away from God at times.  Of course, this is not to say that this woman had strayed away from God, since she had simply done as Elisha instructed her to do.  Verse four states, And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done.  The king was talking to Gehazi about all the things that Elisha had done.  It seems to me that Gehazi might not have been the best person to ask, but after being punished for lying, maybe he had learned his lesson.  I do know that we cannot judge people forever for past sins, especially if they have already asked God for forgiveness and accepted responsibility for the sin.  Verse five adds, And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.  As Gehazi was telling the king about Elisha restoring a woman's son to life, the woman herself called out again to the king for her house and land at this time.  She had evidently trusted people to keep her land and house for her and they had not wanted to return it according to Matthew Henry.  I do know that we cannot entrust others with our own spiritual blessings in hard times while we walk away unless we know beyond a doubt that this is what God has told us to do because they may want to claim what God has blessed us with for themselves.  Of course, if they also are Christians, this should never happen, but sometimes greed does set in even in God's people.  Verse six continues, And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now.  When the woman told the king what she needed, he appointed an officer to see that all that was hers was restored to her, even the profit from the crops while she was gone.  Our Captain is Jesus Christ, and when we come to Him by faith, He will restore our relateship with the Heavenly Father forever, even if we do still at times fail to obey God's word.  Nothing can take this relationship away from us. 

2 Kings 7:12

2 Kings 7:12 says, And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now shew you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we be hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city.  The king of Israel didn't believe that the Syrians had really left, but believed it was a trap, even though Elisha had told him there would be plenty of food starting that day.  People still refuse to believe God's word today and receive His blessings because they think there is some sort of trap in believing the gospel and accepting Jesus Christ.  Verse thirteen adds, And one of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city, (behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it: behold, I say, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed:) and let us send and see.  One of the king's servants told him to let some of the people take five horses and go and see what happened.  If we want to know the truth of the gospel, we must come by faith and see for ourselves if it is real.  If we come by faith, we will know that it is real.  Verse fourteen continues, They took therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see.  They took two chariots to go and investigate with the king's okay to do so.  I am not sure if he was unwilling to risk five chariots or if he just thought two would be enough, but he did let some go.  I am not sure we will ever know the truth of God if we are not willing to risk everything to find out if what He says is true or not.  Verse fifteen states, And they went after them unto Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king.  When they got to the Jordan, they found that the Syrians had even left their garments and vessels in their haste to escape and returned and told the king.  When we discover the truth of the gospel, we must go and tell others.  Verse sixteen says, And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord.   The people went out and discovered the truth of what Elisha had foretold.  One day, people are going to leave everything behind in their attempt to escape the judgment of God if they have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, but it will be too late.  Verse seventeen adds, And the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him.  The king appointed one of his trusted aides to be in charge of the gate, and the people tromped the king to death in their haste to get to the food.  He died as Elisha had said he would before he benefitted from the end of the siege.  Some people today may be close to accepting the gospel of Christ and yet die before they do and therefore will not benefit from it.  It was really a lack of faith that caused the king's death.  Verse eighteen continues, And it came to pass as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall be to morrow about this time in the gate of Samaria:  As Elisha had foretold, barley and flour became plentiful and affordable in Israel that day.  This was quite a change that happened quickly and in accordance with God's word.  Salvation is freely available today, and as soon as anyone accepts Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord, they are immediately saved and changed from the doomed sinner they were before.  Verse nineteen says, And that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.  The king, and maybe the people as well had questioned Elisha's prophesy, asking if God opened the windows of heaven if it would even be possible for things to change so quickly.  He didn't have to open the windows of heaven and His word still came true.  Many people today still question God's ability, but what He says will happen always will happen.  Verse twenty adds, And so it fell out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died.  The king saw it happen, but it was too late for him because he died before he could benefit from the provisions.  One day, people are going to see the truth of the gospel, but it will be too late for it to do them any good.  If we die before accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, it will be too late for us to benefit from His sacrifice.   

2 Kings 7:1

 2 Kings 7:1 says, Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.  When things looked their worse, Elisha said that things were going to be good once more tomorrow.  Sometimes, when things seem to be their worse, all we have to do is hang on in faith for just a little longer.  One way or the other, they will get better if we remain faithful to God.  Verse two adds, Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.  A man with the king questioned Elisha about God's ability to do this.  He was basically saying it was impossible that God could do this, and Elisha said that he would see ir for himself but wouldn't eat of the bread himself.  One day, people will see the truth of salvation, but those who have declared it an impossibility and refused to put their faith in Jesus Christ will never benefit from it.  Verse three continues, And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?  Four lepers at the gate asked why they should just sit there begging until they died.  They were out of hope.  Too many people today live without hope because they refuse to put their faith in God.  Verse four states, If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.  They said that whatever they did while staying in Isarel was going to lead to their death, so they decided to go to Syria where they would either be fed or killed.  They had decided they had rather die elsewhere instead of continuing to wait on God to provide for their needs.  Some people today who profess to be Christians still turn to the world for answers when things get tough instead of putting their faith in God no matter what.  We as followers of Christ should never be guilty of doing this.  Verse five adds, And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there.  These lepers got up in the twilight and went to the camp of the Syrians, but there no one was there.  They were not going to find help outside of God's help, and neither will we today spiritually, even if we decide to go looking.  Verse six continues, For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.  The Syrians had been routed, not by the army of Israel but by God Himself causing them to hear noises that made them think that the people of Israel had hired other armies to help them.  It was God they should have feared when they were attacking His people and not other people of the world.  God does not need armies to bring about His will, but He still works through the obedience of His people to do so most of the time.  Verse seven concludes, Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life.  The noises that the Syrians herd led to their fleeing and leaving everything behind, including their tents, horses and asses.  One day, when the trumpet of the Lord sounds, everyone is going to leave everything behind and face Him either alone or through their faith in Jesus Christ.  Nothing we possess will be of any value to us to bring about our salvation.  Verse eight says, And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it.  When the lepers found the camp abandoned, instead of returning to tell the other people of Samaria, they began to look only for their own profit.  They ate and drank and then began to take silver, gold and raiment and hide it.  Too many people are still self-centered today, looking more for what will profit themselves than for the good of others in need.  Verse nines adds, Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king's household.  At least they realized that what they were doing was wrong and decided to go and tell the king's household.  If we are attempting to keep God's blessings only for ourselves when others are suffering, then we need to realize how wrong this is and began to look at what is best for others as well.  Verse ten continues, So they came and called unto the porter of the city: and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and the tents as they were.  They went to the king's porter to share the good news with him.  As lepers, they had limits on what they could do, and we may have limits on what we can do today, but that does not exempt us from sharing the gospel with those whom we can.  Verse eleven concludes, And he called the porters; and they told it to the king's house within.  The porters then shared the good news with those within the king's house.  This is the way the gospel needs to be shared today.  We as a follower of Christ share with another person, who then shares with someone else, and we repeat the action.  We can only reach the world one person at a time.  Even if several people come to Christ at the same time, they still have to come individually. 

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.