2 Kings 6:32-33 – Growing through the experiences in life

We learned that Samaria was suffering famine and food shortage because it was besieged by the Arameans. Jehoram was the reigning king of Israel during this time. The siege gave him and the people a very difficult time, as we have seen in 2 Kings 6:24-31. The king then blamed the plight of the nation on Elisha and swore to have him killed on that day. So he sent his men to take down the prophet’s head.  

Meanwhile, 2 Kings 6:32-33 tell us that Elisha was sitting in his house conversing with the elders. Referring to the king as “the son of a murderer,” he told the elders that Jehoram was after his head. Calling him “the son of a murderer,” he was essentially calling Ahab a murderer. He then instructed the elders to resist the king’s order, close the door and keep it shut. From Elisha’s question, “Is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?” we conclude that after the king had dispatched his messenger, he went after them. He could have regretted his order, so he went after his messenger.   

In verse 33, we are told that the king’s messenger bulged into Elisha’s presence and on behalf of the king asked, “Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?” This implied that Elisha could have previously counseled the king to trust the LORD and wait for His intervention. The king had now realized that the calamity they were encountering was the LORD’s doing.  So he decided to act defiantly. He felt that since the calamity came from the  LORD, why not just break ties with Him, kill his prophet, and surrender to the Arameans.   

Jehoram’s experience tells us, believers, that in every of life’s experiences God has a lesson for us. We must seek to identify the lesson, learn from it, and take corrective actions, or else we can see a lesson, choose to act defiantly, and break our tie with God. We will be foolish if we chose the latter. Every experience, positive or negative, can help us to know and love God more deeply. Let’s learn to discover and grow through our God-allowed experiences in life! He’s working everything together for our good!