Lectionary Calendar

Thursday, November 21st, 2024
the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33

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Bible Commentaries
2 Kings 6

2 Kings2Ki 5 2 Kings2Ki EzraEzr 1

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Verses 1-33

Intro: Making Iron Float
1. Harper & Owen our grandboys were over a few months back & one of them was looking for a certain toy they couldn’t find. I think it was “Hot Dog” aka Mickey Mouse.
  1. In the grand scheme of things...a small loss, but not to them. Kel & I looked in every room, under couches, in each toy box, until we found it. Why? Because it was important to them.
  2. Does God care about misplaced car-keys in our lives, fender benders, borrowing a neighbors mower & then accidentally breaking it? I say, absolutely
SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMETHING BLUE (1-7)
1. Doing the Impossible (1-7) the mosaic law had a lot to say about product safety
2. The shock/surprise of the story is that the ax head floated...but often we sit in shock that Slide8b it simply broke...I was working for God why did He let this happen?
  1. You can lose something, break something, or misplace something while serving the Lord.
    1. So, don’t be in shock when you do. Own it. Admitted it. Stop trying to chop w/o an ax head. Ask for the Lord’s help. He alone can do the impossible if you trust Him.
3. We might think God would be too busy with larger and more important needs than to be concerned with my little situation.
  1. But His promise to provide for the needs of His people covers little things as well as big ones. [Eg. grandkids looking for a certain toy (small loss) at our house, tear house apart to find it]
    1. Our small worries mean everything to Him cuz we mean everything to Him
      1. We can cast all our care on Him because He cares about us. 1 Pet.5:7
  2. The God who supplied food for a faithful widow, and who provided wine at a small-town wedding, meets our needs as well.
  3. This miracle illustrates a simple but profound truth...God cares about the small Slide8d stuff of life - lost ax heads, lost coins, lost keys, lost files, lost contact lenses - the little things that cause us to fret and worry. [I remember praying to St.Anthony, of Padua]
    1. God does not always restore what was lost (for reasons of His own), but He understands our loss and comforts us in our distress.
  4. Think back over the past few days. Has the Lord taken care of some minor needs in your life? Thank Him.
  5. Will we commit to not thinking, saying, nor believing that God is too busy with larger and more important needs than to be concerned with my little situation?
4. How often has the Lord stepped into your life to show His power, to regain something that we lost because of our mistakes? (a marriage, a family, bad financial decision)
5. If God can make dead metal float, He can surely make dead hearts live.
DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE (8-12)
1. KNOWING THE UNKNOWABLE (8-12)
2. Elisha used God-given insight into political & military affairs to benefit his nation.
3. Since Elisha knew what the enemy would do, Israel could escape surprise attacks.
  1. If you and I study God’s Word, we can clearly know the strategy of Satan, and be able to defeat his attacks. [same bag of tricks]
4. The all seeing eye. God knows every secret plotting of the enemy. Sometimes He allows them to take place. Other times, He counters them. And other times, He delivers His own.
5. Even whispers in the bedroom are heard in heaven.
6. SEEING THE INVISIBLE (13-17)
7. Dothan - was situated near the mountain road that ran through the Jezreel Valley.
8. Alas, my master! - When a child is afraid in the middle of the night, sometimes they will go and lie down by their parents’ bedroom door or at the foot of their bed.
  1. They figure that as long as they are near them, nothing would hurt him. They desire some physical evidence of their parents’ presence.
    1. The young servant of Elisha does the same in running to him.
    2. We too at times long for God to give us some kind of reassurance that He is near, and sometimes He does. But that’s the exception. He wants us to learn to trust His promise that He is with us. No matter how frightening the situation, God’s people always have more on their side than the enemy has on his.
    3. Faith knows that God is working behind the scenes.
  2. Oh & remember, The mission of angels is to protect and serve the children of God (Heb.1:13,14). The psalmist said, The chariots of God are twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them. Ps.68:17 ESV
9. (16) Most of what goes on in the universe we never see. (Hidden Mysteries. http://www.preceptaustin.org/2_kings_devotionals)
  1. Many things are too small or move too fast or even too slow for us to see.
  2. Slide11-13 Today we are able to see stunning video images of some of those things - a caterpillar’s mouth, the eye of a fruit fly, the growth of a mushroom.
  3. Our limited ability to see the awesome and intricate detail of things in the physical world reminds us that our ability to see and understand what’s happening in the spiritual realm is equally limited.
  4. God is at work all around us doing things more wonderful than we can imagine. But our spiritual vision is limited and we cannot see them.
    1. The prophet Elisha, however, actually got to see the supernatural work that God was doing. God also opened the eyes of his fearful colleague so he too could see the heavenly army sent to fight on their behalf.
  5. Eyes of faith see God at work in everything.
  6. Faith sees things that are out of sight.
10. If God and His angels are for us, who can be against us? And remember, the divine forces of God always far outnumber those of our human enemies.
11. (17) The best prayer for ourselves & others around us.
12. ACCOMPLISHING THE UNTHINKABLE (18-23)
13. Elisha performed a dual miracle; he 1st opened the eyes of his servant, but then he also blinded the eyes of the invaders.
14. Knowing that Elisha was his real enemy, the king of Syria tried to capture the prophet.
  1. But Elisha captured them. And he did it with prayer and kindness.
  2. In the east, eating together is equivalent to making a covenant, so those soldiers couldn’t attack Israel again.
15. (21-23) Should I kill them? Should I kill them? - Yes kill them...with kindness.
  1. According to Book 2 of Aristotle’s Rhetoric kindness is defined as virtue, as being "helpfulness towards someone in need, not in return for anything, nor for the advantage of the helper himself, but for that of the person helped".
  2. But Elisha wasn’t being the Helpful Honda Guy. The difference? [this kindness is a fruit o t spirit. We inhale the Spirit, then exhale kindness. We inhale the Spirit, then exhale: Luv,J,P/LSuf,K,Go/F,Gen,SC.
16. Kindness is not niceness. Niceness is cosmetic. It’s bland. Niceness is keeping an employee in the job, knowing he’s no longer the right fit but failing him and the company because you don’t have the courage to do the kind thing. Kindness calls you to tell him he’s not the person for the position and then dignify him in the transition. (Love Kindness, by Barry Corey, Pres. Biola Univ. pg.XIV)
  1. Kindness is all over the bible, but you won’t find niceness once.
17. Kindness means taking off the steel-toed boots used to kick Jesus into our culture or to kick heresies out of our brothers but instead walking barefoot, the very position Jesus’ disciples took when he washed their feet & told them to do likewise.
  1. The way of kindness is not just having the right theology; it’s being the right kind of people. (in our words, actions & attitudes)
BOILED BOY (24-33)
1. Ben-Hadad’s siege of Samaria, is part of a series of military conflicts between the 2 nations, which leads to severe famine during which the citizens of Samaria resort to horrifying measures, including cannibalism.
2. Now hunny I believe in justice...buuut…
3. (25) Paying exorbitant prices for things usually discarded - attest to the effectiveness of the siege.
4. (26) Cried out - a legal term of appeal to a chief arbiter.
5. (7:1) Elisha predicted that they would be able to buy 6 x’s as much food for 1/5 the cost.

return to 'Top of Page'

Verses 1-33

Intro: Making Iron Float
1. Harper & Owen our grandboys were over a few months back & one of them was looking for a certain toy they couldn’t find. I think it was “Hot Dog” aka Mickey Mouse.
  1. In the grand scheme of things...a small loss, but not to them. Kel & I looked in every room, under couches, in each toy box, until we found it. Why? Because it was important to them.
  2. Does God care about misplaced car-keys in our lives, fender benders, borrowing a neighbors mower & then accidentally breaking it? I say, absolutely
SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMETHING BLUE (1-7)
1. Doing the Impossible (1-7) the mosaic law had a lot to say about product safety
2. The shock/surprise of the story is that the ax head floated...but often we sit in shock that Slide8b it simply broke...I was working for God why did He let this happen?
  1. You can lose something, break something, or misplace something while serving the Lord.
    1. So, don’t be in shock when you do. Own it. Admitted it. Stop trying to chop w/o an ax head. Ask for the Lord’s help. He alone can do the impossible if you trust Him.
3. We might think God would be too busy with larger and more important needs than to be concerned with my little situation.
  1. But His promise to provide for the needs of His people covers little things as well as big ones. [Eg. grandkids looking for a certain toy (small loss) at our house, tear house apart to find it]
    1. Our small worries mean everything to Him cuz we mean everything to Him
      1. We can cast all our care on Him because He cares about us. 1 Pet.5:7
  2. The God who supplied food for a faithful widow, and who provided wine at a small-town wedding, meets our needs as well.
  3. This miracle illustrates a simple but profound truth...God cares about the small Slide8d stuff of life - lost ax heads, lost coins, lost keys, lost files, lost contact lenses - the little things that cause us to fret and worry. [I remember praying to St.Anthony, of Padua]
    1. God does not always restore what was lost (for reasons of His own), but He understands our loss and comforts us in our distress.
  4. Think back over the past few days. Has the Lord taken care of some minor needs in your life? Thank Him.
  5. Will we commit to not thinking, saying, nor believing that God is too busy with larger and more important needs than to be concerned with my little situation?
4. How often has the Lord stepped into your life to show His power, to regain something that we lost because of our mistakes? (a marriage, a family, bad financial decision)
5. If God can make dead metal float, He can surely make dead hearts live.
DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE (8-12)
1. KNOWING THE UNKNOWABLE (8-12)
2. Elisha used God-given insight into political & military affairs to benefit his nation.
3. Since Elisha knew what the enemy would do, Israel could escape surprise attacks.
  1. If you and I study God’s Word, we can clearly know the strategy of Satan, and be able to defeat his attacks. [same bag of tricks]
4. The all seeing eye. God knows every secret plotting of the enemy. Sometimes He allows them to take place. Other times, He counters them. And other times, He delivers His own.
5. Even whispers in the bedroom are heard in heaven.
6. SEEING THE INVISIBLE (13-17)
7. Dothan - was situated near the mountain road that ran through the Jezreel Valley.
8. Alas, my master! - When a child is afraid in the middle of the night, sometimes they will go and lie down by their parents’ bedroom door or at the foot of their bed.
  1. They figure that as long as they are near them, nothing would hurt him. They desire some physical evidence of their parents’ presence.
    1. The young servant of Elisha does the same in running to him.
    2. We too at times long for God to give us some kind of reassurance that He is near, and sometimes He does. But that’s the exception. He wants us to learn to trust His promise that He is with us. No matter how frightening the situation, God’s people always have more on their side than the enemy has on his.
    3. Faith knows that God is working behind the scenes.
  2. Oh & remember, The mission of angels is to protect and serve the children of God (Heb.1:13,14). The psalmist said, The chariots of God are twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them. Ps.68:17 ESV
9. (16) Most of what goes on in the universe we never see. (Hidden Mysteries. http://www.preceptaustin.org/2_kings_devotionals)
  1. Many things are too small or move too fast or even too slow for us to see.
  2. Slide11-13 Today we are able to see stunning video images of some of those things - a caterpillar’s mouth, the eye of a fruit fly, the growth of a mushroom.
  3. Our limited ability to see the awesome and intricate detail of things in the physical world reminds us that our ability to see and understand what’s happening in the spiritual realm is equally limited.
  4. God is at work all around us doing things more wonderful than we can imagine. But our spiritual vision is limited and we cannot see them.
    1. The prophet Elisha, however, actually got to see the supernatural work that God was doing. God also opened the eyes of his fearful colleague so he too could see the heavenly army sent to fight on their behalf.
  5. Eyes of faith see God at work in everything.
  6. Faith sees things that are out of sight.
10. If God and His angels are for us, who can be against us? And remember, the divine forces of God always far outnumber those of our human enemies.
11. (17) The best prayer for ourselves & others around us.
12. ACCOMPLISHING THE UNTHINKABLE (18-23)
13. Elisha performed a dual miracle; he 1st opened the eyes of his servant, but then he also blinded the eyes of the invaders.
14. Knowing that Elisha was his real enemy, the king of Syria tried to capture the prophet.
  1. But Elisha captured them. And he did it with prayer and kindness.
  2. In the east, eating together is equivalent to making a covenant, so those soldiers couldn’t attack Israel again.
15. (21-23) Should I kill them? Should I kill them? - Yes kill them...with kindness.
  1. According to Book 2 of Aristotle’s Rhetoric kindness is defined as virtue, as being "helpfulness towards someone in need, not in return for anything, nor for the advantage of the helper himself, but for that of the person helped".
  2. But Elisha wasn’t being the Helpful Honda Guy. The difference? [this kindness is a fruit o t spirit. We inhale the Spirit, then exhale kindness. We inhale the Spirit, then exhale: Luv,J,P/LSuf,K,Go/F,Gen,SC.
16. Kindness is not niceness. Niceness is cosmetic. It’s bland. Niceness is keeping an employee in the job, knowing he’s no longer the right fit but failing him and the company because you don’t have the courage to do the kind thing. Kindness calls you to tell him he’s not the person for the position and then dignify him in the transition. (Love Kindness, by Barry Corey, Pres. Biola Univ. pg.XIV)
  1. Kindness is all over the bible, but you won’t find niceness once.
17. Kindness means taking off the steel-toed boots used to kick Jesus into our culture or to kick heresies out of our brothers but instead walking barefoot, the very position Jesus’ disciples took when he washed their feet & told them to do likewise.
  1. The way of kindness is not just having the right theology; it’s being the right kind of people. (in our words, actions & attitudes)
BOILED BOY (24-33)
1. Ben-Hadad’s siege of Samaria, is part of a series of military conflicts between the 2 nations, which leads to severe famine during which the citizens of Samaria resort to horrifying measures, including cannibalism.
2. Now hunny I believe in justice...buuut…
3. (25) Paying exorbitant prices for things usually discarded - attest to the effectiveness of the siege.
4. (26) Cried out - a legal term of appeal to a chief arbiter.
5. (7:1) Elisha predicted that they would be able to buy 6 x’s as much food for 1/5 the cost.

return to 'Top of Page'

2 Kings2Ki 5 2 Kings2Ki EzraEzr 1

Copyright Statement
These files are the property of Brian Bell.
Text Courtesy of Calvary Chapel of Murrieta. Used by Permission.

Bibliographical Information
Bell, Brian. "Commentary on 2 Kings 6". "Bell's Commentary". https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/cbb/2-kings-6.html. 2017.

Bible Commentaries2 Kings 6

Bell's Commentary on the BibleBell's Commentary

Verses 1-33

Verses 1-33

Bible Commentaries
2 Kings 6