Bible study Daily, explanation and encouragement - 2 Kings
ELISHA'S LAST REQUEST
"I ask that there be a double portion of your spirit upon me" (Hebrew). This phrase has often been misinterpreted as a request to receive twice the Spirit that was in Elijah's life, and the greatest miracles he performed were considered to be an indication of this statement. However, this request is based on Deuteronomy 21:17 where the same expression DOUBLE PORTION is applied to what the firstborn received from his father's inheritance. Elisha considered himself Elijah's firstborn, the "son of the prophet" because he had been called to succeed him as a leader. He was also deeply concerned that he would have that important Spirit as the firstborn. Elijah's answer was that he could not grant that request; only God had the power to do so. However, if the Lord allowed Elisha to witness his ascent to heaven, then he would receive the "double portion".
Hang out with people who make you grow in life. People who have something good to teach you. Do not waste your time together with lazy people who do not strive for anything, expecting everything to happen by "magic". Elisha spent time with Elija and learned a lot, to the point of being his successor. As the apostle Paul once said, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." (1 Cor. 11:1)
WATER IN DRY SOIL
- God be praised! We will never leave this God and His Word!
- He is the only one who can do this! HE CREATES WATER IN DESERT!
- He commanded Moses to strike the rock and it would gush water.
- Each project and vision has its own "Refidim" - place where there is no water to drink.
- BUT WE MUST DEPEND TOTALLY ON GOD!
- Prayer is the key!
- Prayer is essential for us to achieve success in life.
- Nehemiah prayed, Solomon prayed, David prayed! Do not lose this war, PRAY!!!
- Behold, I do a new thing, now shall the light come forth; do you not perceive it? Behold, I will make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the wilderness (Isaiah 43:19).
- Yes! Rivers in the desert! This is God's promise!
- God is doing something new in your life! TRUST! Cheer up! He will surprise you these days!
The widow of one of the prophets, finding herself unable to pay off her debt, faced the possibility of the creditor taking her two children into a period of slavery. The text in Leviticus 25:39-40 states that if the debtor could not pay his debt, he was obliged to serve the creditor as a slave until the year of the jubilee. God's power, manifested to Elisha, increased the widow's small supply of olive oil to an amount that would be sufficient to pay off the debt, and still be left over to serve her family.
Here we see that:
- There was an urgent sense of need.
- What was available was used, a vessel of oil.
- The need was met through the generosity and miracle of God.
- The money to pay the debt did not “fall from the sky”. God granted that she also participate in the miracle.
- She had a good relationship with the neighbors. Otherwise it would not be easy to arrange the vessels.
And finally, the Bible teaches us that we owe nothing to anyone but love (Romans 13:8), we have to pay our debts. Pray seek God's solution and as it was with the widow, God will give you the condition to pay.
Deus tem abundância de recursos que são ilimitados para todos os que confiam nele e obedecem.
O temor de que nós não teremos o suficiente em momentos de necessidade INSULTA O DEUS QUE TEM SE REVELADO COMO JEOVÁ-JIRÉ, como o Senhor, nosso provedor.
CREIA QUE DEUS É CAPAZ DE SUPRIR SUAS NECESSIDADES, MESMO QUANDO VOCÊ NÃO TEM IDEIA DE COMO SE FARÁ.
Verse 44 says that he served everyone and according to the word of the Lord, they ate and there was still left.
Often, we only look at the problem itself, 20 loaves for 100 men, how could it? God's miraculous power was again manifested through the small amount of food that multiplied and became more than enough for a hundred men. This was God's way of showing that He would provide for His prophets.
Often it is necessary to really have faith! Perhaps some of us would say to Elisha: "Look, call someone else to make this division, because it obviously does not work for me". Others would panic. But true faith smiles at impossibilities.
One of the most exciting stories in the Bible. We can assume that Naaman first sought help from his Syrian god. Naaman had an Israeli handmaid and that handmaid was fantastic! Even though she was out of her country and serving strangers, she did not abandon her faith in God and had great confidence in the Lord and also in Elisha. She was the liaison for Naaman's healing and conversion.
This healing represented another significant episode in Elisha's ministry, and was intended to demonstrate that ONLY THE LORD IS GOD, and that the gods of other nations represented nothing.
Naaman's despair, caused by the impurity of the Jordan River, may have been caused in part by the correct comparison he made with the rivers in his country. However, the real issue was his unwillingness to humble himself properly, and to obey God's order for healing. He had already imagined how everything should happen. But because his need was great, he was persuaded to humble himself and God, in an extraordinary way, healed him.
Here we have:
- The greatness that leads to nothing - a great man ... but a leper.
- The testimony of a slave's faith.
- Complete obedience and healing.
Naaman had offered Elisha a gift; however, the prophet refused. However, his gratitude was so great that he promptly gave Gehazi silver talents, which were supposedly for two needy young prophets. Elisha transferred leprosy to Gehazi, not only because he had lied for personal reasons, but even worse, his selfish interest in money had diminished the efficiency of Elisha's ministry to God. This incident presents itself as an impressive warning to all the Lord's servants who put personal interests before the master's cause.
2 Kings 5:10
In verse 11 it goes like this: But Naaman was angry, and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and cure the leper.
This man's pride almost kept him from receiving God's healing. Do you have a problem with pride, perhaps feeling that you should be treated a certain way because of your position? Ask God to identify areas of pride and teach you humility. Do not let that feeling stop you from experiencing everything God wants to do in your life.
- I want to encourage you to trust God, even in the most adverse of situations!
- We are not exempt from adversity. But God works in our lives in an extraordinary way! We cannot see or perceive.
- Often times the situation gets out of our control and we get upset, and we feel that all is lost. We come to think that God has forgotten us, we feel sad, discouraged and distressed. But the word of the Lord in John 16:33 says: That in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
- God is in control of everything! He has a winning path for you!
- Believe that in this situation God's command has already been authorized in your regard!
- God is working on your behalf, rest in Him! God bless you.
Led by their king, a group of Syrians began to disturb Israel with guerrilla incursions. Elisha, through divine revelation, frustrated these invasions countless times by informing the king of Israel about these plans. In this way, he allowed the king of Israel several times to avoid the Syrian trap. When the king of Syria heard that Elisha was informing them, he surrounded Dothan where the prophet had settled. Furtively, at night, the Syrian soldiers took up position to be ready the next morning, in order to arrest Elisha when he left the city.
Elisha's servant was startled when, the next morning, he saw the Syrians camped outside the city. The prophet's response remains a classic example of trust and faith in God: DO NOT FEAR; BECAUSE THERE ARE MORE THAT ARE WITH US THAN THAT ARE WITH THEM. The servant's eyes were then opened so that he could see the army that God had made available.
When I read this passage, I even imagine and vibrate at the same time with the image that the servant saw. God is so wonderful!
"Seeing the invisible" is the important lesson in verses 13-18. Circumstances can be threatening. The fear can be great. However, our faith in our God brings deliverance.
A day of good news” is the theme of verses 3-11. We note here:
- A Desperate Trial - Syria's siege of Samaria exhausted the city's food supply and even the ass, an unclean animal, was used for food. A donkey's head which was one of the least eatable parts of the animal sold for 50 US dollars in silver (eighty pieces of silver). Also pigeon dung was used as food in times of drought. The mothers turned to cannibalism.
- A brave move: Four lepers, apparently isolated in a house outside the city, decided they had nothing to lose by going to the Syrians' camp.
- A great discovery - They discovered that the place was abandoned, as the Syrians had fled when God miraculously caused them to hear the sound of a great army.
- A personal satisfaction: When the lepers began to loot and hide some objects and articles of clothing for themselves.
- The awakening of a sense of duty - WE DO NOT DO IT WELL; THIS DAY IS GOOD NEWS DAY AND WE ARE SILENT.
- The end of the siege: The word of God given to Elisha was fulfilled and the people had something to eat. And Elisha's predictions concerning the terms of the release and death of the king's captain were fully fulfilled.
Conclusion: If it is God who promised you, believe. He is faithful and very able to fulfill!
The order related to the use of the bow and arrows was related to Syria, which was the nation that oppressed Israel. An arrow shot towards the east symbolized victory in Afeca; the arrows shot to the ground symbolized Israel's victory over Syria.
Elisha was very angry with Joash, king of Israel, knowing that trusting and leaning on other nations was a wrong attitude. Complete trust in God was necessary for them to be helped against the foreign nations that sought to oppress Israel.
So do not be afraid or shy or unsure of God's promises, He wants your complete trust in Him. If He told you to do it, He guarantees your victory! Be strong in the fight against satan and demons.
Courage!
In this passage we learn that the Lord allowed Israel to be taken captive and led into exile because of their disobedience. Have you ever neglected to do what God asked you to do, allowing sin to enter your life? Do not let the devil, our enemy, lead you into captivity to sin and disobedience; it only leads to destruction.
WE PRAY:
God, I pray that I will not give in to the influence and customs of the world around me, but that I may always honor and obey you.
What can be called "Anatomy of a false faith" is described in these verses.
There was no description of the manner or the time when an attempt to purify the Samaritan religion took place. The crucial point to note is that this endeavor was unsuccessful. As the historian was aware, from the beginning and throughout their history, Samaritans never accepted true worship of God, verse 34 says: Until today they do according to their first customs; they do not fear the Lord.
- They served God only in the manner of speaking. It's like today, right here in Brazil, many people have learned to say: I am bound! The blood of Jesus has power! You're reprimanded! They are just ways of speaking, or as some say: it is "evangelical".
- In practice, their dedication is to other interests.
- Lives that showed no change. It is also how much you happen to evangelize someone and that person returns to you with the well-known phrase: me? To be a believer like so and so? I stay in my religion anyway. Because some are in the church and there is no positive change.
- Forgotten votes. There are many who, when they are suffering for some reason, promise that if God frees them, heals them, opens a door for help, they will be faithful to God and such ... Having their problem solved, they turn around and leave God.
- Abandoning the legacy of the past. Many people are educated and taught within a Christian culture. A teaching by the family. But in their youth, they abandon, forget and many do not even come back. And speaking to us Brazilians,in a country full of crimes, murders, this abandonment is sometimes expensive, their lives are cut off young (due to accidents of murder) without time to return to Christ.
God help us to stand firm with our faith! Salvation is at hand! The Rapture of the Chruch is soon as well as the start of the Great Tribulation!
FACING LIFE THREATS
King Hezekiah recognized that the situation was too serious for him and the human resources of his people. His prayer is a model for his objectivity, simplicity and complete dependence.
- The gravity of the situation was clearly seen. The city was under siege, they had nowhere to run. Outside, Sennacherib made fun of God saying that their God could not help them.
- God is the only refuge
By tearing his clothes and dressing up, Hezekiah purposely exposed his grief and mourning. The phrase "entered the house of the Lord" possibly suggests that Hezekiah led his people through a period of fasting and prayer. When only God can help, run to your feet through prayer and fasting. That was a correct source of help. - The Lord is concerned with the honor of His name
God would bring deliverance for His name's sake (for my sake, verse 34) and because of His word given to David (2 Sam 7:10-16). - He knew that God was capable
God's answer to Hezekiah's prayer was a hopeful answer for the king of Judah and anguished Jerusalem. Their attitude towards Sennacherib could be contemptuous and mocking. And so God declared to Sennacherib: I will make you go back the way you came from.
So, when facing life's struggles, seek the Lord. Do not try to solve it on your own understanding. The Lord always has a way out, an open door, a deliverance when you need it.
God bless you!
Hezekiah was a man whose prayers were answered. At the time when he was close to death, due to a boil or carbuncle, God heard him. The basis of his petition was a life of faithfulness prior to his illness.
God answered Hezekiah's prayer by healing him and adding fifteen years to his life (God does not always answer that way, but in Hezekiah's case, He did). It seems that although God granted Hezekiah's request, that was not the best for him. Later on, he went hopelessly wrong. We need to remember that the only safe prayer is to ask for God's will to be done. The best prayer always recognizes that we do not really know, in most cases, what is best for us. So we must be willing to say, "Do according to Your Will, Lord".