2 Kings Chapter 7
Showing all 20 verses for 2 Kings Chapter 7.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"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. "
"Elisha said, "Listen to the word of the LORD: by this time tomorrow, a measure of fine flour will sell for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.""
I want to give you hope that is specific and real, not just vague reassurance. When everything looks bleakest, trust that transformation can come faster and more completely than you dare imagine.
"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. "
"An officer on whose arm the king was leaning said to the man of God, "Even if the LORD made windows in the sky, could this happen?" Elisha replied, "You will see it happen with your own eyes, but you won't get to eat any of it.""
Doubt itself isn't the problem I care about - it's contempt. You can question and still stay humble; it's mockery and cynicism towards hope and towards people trying to help that closes doors you might otherwise walk through.
"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? "
"There were four men with leprosy sitting at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, "Why are we just sitting here waiting to die?""
I often bring hope through the people society has pushed to the edges, not through the powerful. Never assume someone marginalised or overlooked has nothing valuable to offer - sometimes they see clearly what others miss.
"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. "
""If we say we'll go into the city, the famine is there and we'll die there too. And if we just sit here, we'll die anyway. So let's go and surrender to the Syrian camp - if they let us live, we live; if they kill us, we would have died anyway.""
When you feel trapped with no good options, I ask you to look honestly for any door, even an unlikely or frightening one, rather than giving up. Courage isn't the absence of fear - it's acting even when every path looks risky.
"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. "
"So at twilight they got up and went towards the Syrian camp. When they reached its outer edge, they found no one there at all."
Sometimes the threat you're bracing yourself to face has already lost its power before you even arrive. Don't let fear of a battle stop you from finding out whether the battle is even still there.
"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 LORD had caused the Syrian army to hear what sounded like chariots, horses, and a huge army approaching. They said to each other, "Listen - the king of Israel must have hired the kings of the Hittites and the Egyptians to attack us!""
Fear itself, once it takes hold, can be more powerful and more destructive than any real threat. I want you to learn to recognise when panic is running ahead of reality, both in yourself and in how you treat others.
"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. "
"So they got up and fled in the twilight, abandoning their tents, horses, donkeys - the whole camp exactly as it was - and ran for their lives."
Notice how much people can lose - security, resources, opportunity - simply by running from fear rather than checking what's actually true. I want you to pause and examine your fears before letting them cost you everything.
"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 leprous men reached the edge of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, then carried off silver, gold, and clothing and hid it. They went back and did the same in another tent."
When you first stumble upon unexpected good fortune, it's natural to want to hoard it. I don't condemn that instinct, but I do call you towards the next, better step - remembering others who are still suffering.
"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. "
"Then they said to each other, "This isn't right. Today is a day of good news, and we're keeping silent about it. If we wait until morning, we'll be found guilty of wrongdoing. Come on, let's go tell the king's household.""
Good news that saves lives isn't meant to be hoarded. If you've been given real hope, relief, or good fortune, I want you to remember the people still suffering and share it, even if that means giving up some advantage you could have kept for yourself.
"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. "
"So they went and called out to the gatekeepers of the city, telling them, "We went to the Syrian camp, and there was no one there - no sound of anyone - just horses and donkeys tied up, and the tents left just as they were.""
When you have genuinely good news to share, tell it plainly and honestly - you don't need to embellish truth to make it worth hearing. Simple, honest testimony can change everything for people who need it.
"And he called the porters; and they told it to the king’s house within. "
"The gatekeepers called out and reported it to the king's household inside the palace."
Truth spoken honestly has a way of reaching further than you might expect. Don't underestimate the ripple effect of one honest report told faithfully.
"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 got up in the night and said to his officers, "Let me tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know we're starving, so they've left the camp to hide in the countryside, thinking, 'When they come out of the city, we'll catch them alive and get into the city.'""
It's wise to test extraordinary good news rather than accept it uncritically, especially after being hurt before. I don't ask for blind acceptance - careful, honest verification is a form of wisdom, not a lack of trust in me.
"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 his officers suggested, "Let someone take five of the remaining horses in the city - they'll die anyway along with everyone else here - and let's send them to go and see what's happened.""
You don't have to choose between blind faith and total refusal to act. I want you to find the wise middle path - a small, thoughtful step to test what's true before committing everything.
"They took therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see. "
"So they took two chariot horses, and the king sent them after the Syrian army, saying, "Go and see.""
Even a small step towards checking the truth is better than staying frozen in fear or suspicion. I want you to take that one small next step when you're unsure, rather than doing nothing at all.
"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. "
"They followed the Syrians' trail all the way to the Jordan river, and the entire road was littered with clothing and equipment the Syrians had thrown away in their panic. The messengers returned and reported this to the king."
When truth is real, it tends to hold up under scrutiny and leave evidence behind. I want you to trust what has been tested and confirmed, and let that confirmed trust replace lingering suspicion.
"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. "
"Then the people went out and plundered the Syrian camp. So a measure of fine flour sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, exactly as the LORD had said."
When I make a promise, I keep it precisely, even when circumstances make it look impossible. Hold onto hope even when the odds look laughable, because fulfilment can come suddenly and completely.
"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 had put the officer he leaned on in charge of the gate, and the crowd trampled him there, and he died - just as the man of God had said when the king had come to him."
Mockery of hope doesn't stop good things from happening for others - but it can cost you your own share in them. I want you to be someone who chooses to believe good news is possible, rather than standing at the gate scoffing while it happens anyway.
"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: "
"It happened just as the man of God had told the king: "Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, will be sold by this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria.""
I want my words to you to be trustworthy enough that you could repeat them back after they come true and find them exactly accurate. Test what you're told against what actually happens, and hold onto what proves reliable.
"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. "
"And that officer had answered the man of God, "Look, even if the LORD made windows in the sky, could this happen?" And Elisha had said, "You will see it with your own eyes, but you won't eat any of it.""
Words spoken carelessly, especially mocking someone else's hope, can shape how things unfold for you. I ask you to be careful and humble with your words, especially towards people trying to bring good news in hard times.
"And so it fell out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died. "
"And that is exactly what happened to him: the people trampled him at the gate, and he died."
I want you to be someone who not only witnesses good things happening but actually receives and enjoys them - which starts with an open, hopeful heart rather than a mocking, closed one.