The King of Israel's Assistant 2 Kings 6--7

"Now the king had placed the officer who was his right-hand man at the city gate. When the people rushed out, they trampled him to death in the gate. This fulfilled the prophet’s word which he had spoken when the king tried to arrest him. The prophet told the king, “Two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel, and a seah of finely milled flour for a shekel; this will happen about this time tomorrow in the gate of Samaria.” But the officer replied to the prophet, “Look, even if the Lordmade it rain by opening holes in the sky, could this happen so soon?” Elisha said, “Look, you will see it happen with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of the food!” This is exactly what happened to him.The people trampled him to death in the city gate." -2 Kings 7:17-20

Grace wanted to know why the assistant was punished so severely for not believing Elisha's unlikely prophecy that grain would be cheap the next day.  Earlier that morning Briggs and I had been discussing how Jesus hid truth through the use of parables to some.

The overarching theme of questions is "why?"   Why does God punish lack of faith in some and not in others. If we are saved by faith through grace and all of this is a gift of God, why are we held responsible for our lack of faith?  I can think of more examples--Peter's feet sinking in the water, Jesus testing Philip in John's account of the feeding of the 5,000.  Why the tests?  Are we to put the natural order of the world aside and push back the rational part of our mind?

Otto Ellinger, "The Seige of Samaria is Lifted"

Perhaps we should not be so quick to strip these instances of their context and extrapolate them to suit our own life situations.  This over-application and oversimplification of the Bible haunts me.  It's much too common these days.  I worry about people who know verses but no context.  It seems a careless way to approach a text and a fast path toward abusing it.  A gem shines best in its setting and the Lord is a master jeweler.  He carefully crafts the settings for the gems of truth in His Word.  How bold we are to strip them out and prefer our own.

I suspect each of us is responsible to be faithful to the measure of truth and light that has been revealed to us at any given time.  Why He reveals much to some and nothing to others is not on my work order--only that I study and respond judiciously to the light He's meted out in my own setting, my own circumstance.

Returning to these stories of various assistants (the Syrian Commander, the assistant to Joram, and Philip the disciple), I'm encouraged to think that the Word bothers to put such weight on these figures.  More of us are assistants and under the leadership of others who may be godless (like the King of Aram) or leadership that is corrupt but should know better (Joram).  Some of us, though not under Jesus Christ directly, are under exceptional people of faith, as Philip was under Jesus, yet we still fail the tests of faith.   I'm thankful that all of these circumstances are not impediments to God.  He works around the faithless to help the faithful.  He sometimes guides us tenderly along as he did with Philip.

But what about the assistant to Joram?  His consequence was to see the miracle, yet to be trampled to death under the feet of the excited mob the following day.  Wasn't Joram more culpable than his assistant?  Why does he escape unscathed, even rewarded with the Syrian plunder. More whys....  And why frame the story of the Syrian army's flight through the eyes of the disparaged lepers?

I've got to get back to the text here.  The historical texts of the Old Testament are tight lipped friends, but they do speak if we listen carefully and thoughtfully.  It's not a skill that comes easy in our culture, but that is no reason to press on and learn to listen to its rhythm...in context.

Here are some snapshots from Matthew Henry's commentary that I'm pondering:

"When the king's skeptical aide questioned the likelihood of such incredible plenty, Elisha added that he would see it with his eyes, but would not eat of it. "If you would believe," writes Moody, "you must crucify the question, 'how?'" (cf. our Lord's disciples before the feeding of the 4000 in Mar_8:4). Man's extremity is God's opportunity of magnifying his own power; his time to appear for his people is when their strength is gone, Deu_32:36." -Matthew Henry

The is the second time I've encountered Matthew Henry phrase, "Man's extremity is God's opportunity."  He must have been understandably fond of it...a useful truth that fits many situations.

"Note, Unbelief is a sin by which men greatly dishonour and displease God, and deprive themselves of the favours he designed for them. The murmuring Israelites saw Canaan, but could not enter in because of unbelief. Such (says bishop Patrick) will be the portion of those that believe not the promise of eternal life; they shall see it at a distance - Abraham afar off, but shall never taste of it; for they forfeit the benefit of the promise if they cannot find in their heart to take God's word." -Matthew Henry

This thought scares me!  There is such a slippery balance between unbelief and healthy skepticism. Skepticism always feels safer.

"The wants of Israel supplied in a way that they little thought of, which should encourage us to depend upon the power and goodness of God in our greatest straits." Matthew Henry

In my own straits, do I lay hold of the truth that God can work them despite the unlikely setting?  I'm certainly a student of the setting and prone to place too much weight on my own self-analysis of the situation than upon God's willingness and ability to work within or above or around it (as he does with Naaman working around Joram, and who would have guessed he would spare unfaithful Israel and Joram through a a supernaturally induced panic attack?  What appears is not always what is.

Part of an installation by Barbara Kruger, Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, DC

"Justly are those thus tantalized with the world's promises that think themselves tantalized with the promises of God. If believing shall not be seeing, seeing shall not be enjoying. This matter is repeated, and the event very particularly compared with the prediction (2Ki_7:18-20), that we might take special notice of it, and might learn, (1.) How deeply God resents out distrust of him, of his power, providence, and promise. When Israel said, Can God furnish a table? the Lord heard it and was wroth. Infinite wisdom will not be limited by our folly. God never promises the end without knowing where to provide the means. (2.) How uncertain life and the enjoyments of it are. Honour and power cannot secure men from sudden and inglorious deaths. He whom the king leaned upon the people trod upon; he who fancied himself the stay and support of the government was trampled under foot as the mire in the streets. Thus hath the pride of men's glory been often stained." -Matthew Henry

Why is it so hard for most of us---certainly me---to give ourselves up to the mysterious workings of God? Did he design us with this inherent weakness? Before the Fall proper, Eve doubted God and listened to the serpent. In paradise the doubt began.