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2. Lesson 16 2 Kings 6:24-8:6 Stories about Elisha

3. Elisha heals Naaman  Naaman was a great man in Syria Commander of the Syrian army A mighty man of valor But, also a leper  A slowly progressive, chronic infectious disease … that damages nerves, skin, and mucous membranes, and can lead to loss of sensation, paralysis, gangrene, and deformity if untreated. Review

4. Elisha heals Naaman  King of Syria sends Naaman to king of Israel for healing  Elisha hears of this and responds “let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.”  Naaman comes to Elisha’s house  Elisha did not come out  He sends a messenger to Naaman Review

5. Elisha heals Naaman  "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.”  Naaman was furious  "Indeed, I said to myself…” “I thought” this is how I would be healed  He heads home to the rivers of Damascus They are “better than all the waters of Israel” Review

6. Elisha heals Naaman  Lesson learned "Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel”  Naaman offers Elisha gifts Elisha refuses  Naaman takes dirt to build an altar to God He will sacrifice to no other gods Notice his special circumstance Review

7. Sin of Gehazi  Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, wanted some of the gifts offered to Elisha by Naaman  He pursues Naaman  Naaman gladly offers Gehazi gifts Even sends men to help carry the gifts  Elisha confronted Gehazi  Gehazi lied about where he had been  Naaman’s leprosy was put on Gehazi Review

8. Naaman’s future worship  2 Kings 5:18 "Yet in this thing may the LORD pardon your servant: when my master goes into the temple of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand, and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon- when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the LORD please pardon your servant in this thing." Thoughts?

9. Naaman’s future worship  Appreciation to the man of God  Pompous vs contrite  Faith in Jehovah's supremacy  Gift for Elisha  Future worship to Jehovah  Loads of dirt back to Syria  Asks for forgiveness Thoughts?

10. Naaman’s future worship  The king would expect Naaman to accompany him into the temple of their idols  Was Naaman asking permission to attend the idols’ temple with the king?  Would this be considered sin? In the presence of idol worship? What about abstaining the very appearance of evil? Thoughts?

11. Naaman’s future worship  Was this permission in advance to sin?  What was Elisha’s response? Approval? Disapproval? How would you answer a new, young convert who wanted to attend a denominational worship with his/her parents? Thoughts?

12. Elisha heals Naaman  "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.”  Naaman was furious  "Indeed, I said to myself…” “I thought” this is how I would be healed  He heads home to the rivers of Damascus They are “better than all the waters of Israel” A seemingly strange way to be healed. Any power in the water of Jordan? Mark 16:16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved Strange way to be saved from our sins? Lessons

13. Elisha heals Naaman  "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.”  Naaman was furious  "Indeed, I said to myself…” “I thought” this is how I would be healed  He heads home to the rivers of Damascus They are “better than all the waters of Israel” Lessons Jeremiah 10:23 O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. Romans 10:3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.

14. Sin of Gehazi  Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, wanted some of the gifts offered to Elisha by Naaman  He pursues Naaman  Naaman gladly offers Gehazi gifts Even sends men to help carry the gifts  Elisha confronted Gehazi  Gehazi lied about where he had been  Naaman’s leprosy was put on Gehazi Lessons Greed Ephesians 5:3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; Ephesians 5:5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Colossians 3:5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

15. Lesson 16 2 Kings 6:24-8:6 Stories about Elisha

16. Siege of Samaria  Ben-hadad, king of Syria gathered a great army and laid siege to Samaria  No could go in or out  So no food coming into the city  Food became very expensive  This often lead to cannibalism

17. Siege of Samaria  A woman pleaded the king for help  She and another woman ate her son yesterday  They agreed to eat the other son today  The woman had hid her son Deuteronomy 28:53 "You shall eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and your daughters whom the LORD your God has given you, in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you. 58 "If you do not carefully observe all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, THE LORD YOUR GOD, They didn’t listen!!! Do we listen??? Unbelievable!

18. Siege of Samaria  The king tore his robe  He was angry king of Israel blamed God  The wicked king of Israel blamed God  He swore to have the head of Elisha  Apparently Elisha was in Samaria  He was with the elders of the city

19. Siege of Samaria  Elisha told the elders a messenger was coming to cut off his head  And the king was not far behind  The king said the siege was from the Lord; why should I wait on Him any longer  It seems Elisha told the king to wait king of Israel had no faith in God  The king of Israel had no faith in God Then how are you going to stop it??

20. Siege of Samaria inexpensive  Elisha told them tomorrow food would be very, very inexpensive  The officer doubted  Elisha told him he would see this happen, but not eat the food

21. Siege of Samaria  Four Israelite men with leprosy were outside the gate  We will die  They go to the Syrian camp looking for mercy  No one is there!!!

22. Siege of Samaria  Jehovah had caused the Syrians to hear noise of chariots and the sound of horses  They thought the king of Israel has hired help and a great army was coming  They fled leaving everything behind

23. Siege of Samaria  The lepers cautiously moved into the camp  Finding no one they ate and drank  They decided to go back and tell the ones in the city  They told the gatekeeper  Word travelled to the king

24. Siege of Samaria  The king sent men to investigate thinking it was a trick  The men found no one in the camp  They found where the Syrians had fled  They went back and reported this to the king The king's investigating party went all the way to the Jordan River and returned, a distance of some forty miles (round trip), which means that the confirmation of the tremendous miracle probably took place in Samaria early in the morning. One can only imagine the panic of all the people and the stampede of the whole city to plunder the rich remains of the Syrian encampment!

25. Siege of Samaria  The people rushed to the camp  They found food and took all the spoils  In the rush an officer at the gate was trampled Just as Elisha had predicted

26. Siege of Samaria  The time of this event is uncertain  Ben-hadad was a title for Syrian kings  We know of a Ben-hadad in Ahab’s time  This Ben-hadad’s son had the same name  Time is not important  The lesson of God’s attempts to bring His people back is important

27. Shunammite Woman  Woman in whose house Elisha stayed  Elisha had raised her son from dead  Elisha told her a seven year famine was coming  Leave your home until it is over  She moved to coastal plain Philistine territory

28. Shunammite Woman  After famine is over, she goes home  She goes to the king Asking for her property to be restored  Gehazi is there talking to the king Elisha’s servant (former??) “the servant of the man of God”

29. Shunammite Woman  He knows of her history with Elisha  King assigns official to take care of her Give her everything belonging to her 2 Kings 4:13 And he said to him, "Say now to her, 'Look, you have been concerned for us with all this care. What can I do for you? Do you want me to speak on your behalf to the king…

30. Lessons  Israel is very wicked  They have totally abandoned God  Yet, He is patient with them  He shows them time and again that He is God and He wants them to repent  However, time will run out  Applies to us… 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us- ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

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