2 Kings 4:44

38-44 There was a famine of bread, but not of hearing the word of God, for Elisha had the sons of the prophets sitting before him, to hear his wisdom. Elisha made hurtful food to become safe and wholesome. If a mess of pottage be all our dinner, remember that this great prophet had no better for himself and his guests. The table often becomes a snare, and that which should be for our welfare, proves a trap: this is a good reason why we should not feed ourselves without fear. When we are receiving the supports and comforts of life, we must keep up an expectation of death, and a fear of sin. We must acknowledge God's goodness in making our food wholesome and nourishing; I am the Lord that healeth thee. Elisha also made a little food go a great way. Having freely received, he freely gave. God has promised his church, that he will abundantly bless her provision, and satisfy her poor with br...

EXPOSITION 2 KINGS 4:1 TYPICAL MIRACLES WROUGHT BY ELISHA. General _introduction_._ _The miracles of this chapter are all of them miracles of mercy. The first and last consist in the multiplying of food, and thus belong to the same class as our Lord's feeding the four and the five thousands, and Elijah's increasing the meal and oil of the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:10). It serves no useful purpose to ask how miracles of this class were wrought. The inspired writers have not told us; and our own thoughts upon the subject can at the best be mere unfounded conjectures. The rationalistic attempts which have been made to solve the mystery exhibit a weakness and feeblen

SO HE SET IT BEFORE THEM,.... The twenty barley loaves, and the full ears of corn: AND THEY DID EAT, AND LEFT THEREOF, ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF THE LORD; as the disciples did at the miracle of the loaves and fishes; though that must be allowed to be a greater miracle than this, Matthew 14:17....

3. THE MIRACLES CHAPTER 4 _ 1. The widow's oil multiplied (2 Kings 4:1)_ 2. The Shunammite and her reward (2 Kings 4:8) 3. The son of the Shunammite raised from the dead (2 Kings 4:18) 4. The deadly pottage healed (2 Kings 4:38) 5. The multitude fed (2 Kings 4:42) In the previous chapter Elisha appeared as the saviour of Israel, and now he acts in behalf of the widow of one of the sons of the prophets. His name is not given. Elisha had known him as one who feared the Lord. And now the widow deeply in

TWO MINOR MIRACLES OF ELISHA. The death (poison) in the pot healed and the feeding of a hundred prophets. The bread of the firstfruits (2 Kings 4:42) was by the Law the property of the priests (Numbers 18:13; Deuteronomy 18:4). Here the loaves and ears of corn are offered to prophets. In the Christian _Teaching of the Twelve Apostles_ the prophets are to be given of the firstfruits, for they are your priests. There is no similar instance in the OT....

_they did eat, and left_thereof] Compare with this the miracles of our Lord (Matthew 14:15-21; Matthew 15:32-38; John 6:5-14). In this account of Elisha there is however not much dwelling on the increase of the bread by a miracle, and we are left to accept the result as either brought about in that way, or by the appetites of the men being satisfied with a small quantity. The LXX. omits -so he set it before them" at the commencement of this verse....

B. MULTIPLICATION OF THE LOAVES 4:42-44 TRANSLATION (42) And a man came from Baal-shalisha, and he brought to the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley and grain in his sack. And he said, Give it to the people, that they might eat. (43) And his minister said, How shall I place this before a hundred men? And he said, Give it to the people that they may eat, for thus says the LORD: They shall eat, and there shall be leftovers. (44) And he put it before them, and they ate, and there were leftovers according to the word of the LORD. COMMENTS Gilgal seems to be the setting for the final miracle recorded in chapter 4. A man came from near-by Baal-shalisha to bring Elisha the firstfruits of his harvest. It would seem from this that the more pious among the Israelites regarded the prophets as having inherited the position of the Levitical priests whom Jeroboam had drive...

VARIOUS MIRACLES OF ELISHA The miracles related of Elisha in this and the following Chapter s resemble many of those previously recounted of Elijah. Thus both prophets multiplied the sustenance of a woman in need (2 Kings 4:1; 1 Kings 17:8); both restored a dead child to life (2 Kings 4:8; 1 Kings 17:17); both came into conflict with their king on the occasion of a famine (2 Kings 6:24; 1 Kings 18;...

THE LAST KINGS OF *ISRAEL AND *JUDAH BOOK OF 2 KINGS _PHILIP SMITH_ CHAPTER 4 ELISHA PROVIDES OIL FOR A WIDOW V1 A man’s widow went to speak to Elisha. The man had been a member of a group of *prophets. The widow cried out, ‘My husband, who was your servant, has died. As you know, he gave honour to the *Lord. Now a man to whom he owed money has come. That man wants to take my two boys as his slaves.’ V2 Elisha replied, ‘How can I help you? What have you got at home?’ ‘I have nothing except a small jar of *olive oil,’ she answered....

(38-44) Elisha among the sons of the prophets at Gilgal during the famine....