2 Kings Chapter 7

God’s Miraculous Provision for Samaria

A. God’s promise and what the lepers discovered.

1. (2 Kings 7:1-2) God’s promise and the doubt of the king’s officer.

Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord, To morrow about this time shall a seah of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

COMMENTARY

a. Hear the word of the LORD

Elisha begins by bringing the nation what their king had refused to embrace. The king blamed the Lord for the calamity, yet the Lord still extended mercy and gave a word that offered hope. This reflects the character of God revealed in Psalm 103:8, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.” God’s word came even when the king had no faith, and it came in spite of the spiritual climate of the nation. God remained faithful to His covenant people and continued to speak through His prophet.

b. Tomorrow about this time

The Lord promised a complete reversal of the economic situation within twenty four hours. A seah of fine flour and two seahs of barley would again be sold at the gate of Samaria. The gate functioned as the marketplace and the public court, the busiest and most important commercial center of the city. Even though these prices were not inexpensive by ancient standards, they were nothing compared to the starvation level conditions produced by the siege. God was declaring that the famine would be overturned so completely that normal commerce would resume almost overnight.

This reveals God’s ability to reverse circumstances suddenly, in accordance with Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” What seemed irreversible to the people of Samaria was nothing for the Lord to change.

c. Look, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, could this thing be

The king’s officer responded with unbelief. His doubt rose from several failures of understanding.

i. He doubted the power of God

He implied that even if God opened windows in heaven, such a change could not occur. Yet God had already demonstrated His power in Israel many times. Psalm 78:23-24 says, “Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, and had rained down manna upon them to eat.” The Lord had literally fed His people from heaven before. The officer’s problem was not a lack of information, but a hardened heart.

ii. He doubted the creativity of God

He could only imagine food coming from above because the city was surrounded by the Syrian army. He failed to consider that God could work in completely unexpected ways. This is a common failure of unbelief. Faith trusts God’s power and God’s wisdom. Ephesians 3:20 reminds us, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.”

The officer limited God to the only method he could imagine and therefore dismissed the promise entirely.

iii. He doubted the messenger of God

Elisha was a proven prophet whose words had repeatedly come to pass. The officer rejected not only the promise, but also the credibility of the man through whom God spoke. This reflects the pattern described in 2 Chronicles 36:16, “But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets.” The rejection of God’s prophet is the rejection of God Himself.

iv. The officer illustrates the conduct of unbelief

His response reveals the nature of unbelief in several ways:

• Unbelief questions the truthfulness of God’s promise.

• Unbelief rejects anything new as impossible, even when God declares it.

• Unbelief resists anything sudden, presuming God must work slowly.

• Unbelief insists there is no possible means for God to do what He promised.

• Unbelief imagines there is only one method God can use.

• Unbelief assumes that even if God were to act, it would still not be enough.

This mindset elevates human understanding above divine power and places limitations on the One who has none.

d. In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it

Because of his unbelief, God pronounced judgment upon the officer through Elisha. He would witness the fulfillment of the promise, but he would not partake of the blessing. This anticipates the principle taught in Hebrews 3:19, “So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” Unbelief forfeits blessing. It keeps a person on the outside of God’s provision even when the provision is right in front of them.

The officer would stand as a visible warning that unbelief carries consequences. He would behold the miracle of God, but he would perish before he could enjoy its benefits.

Spurgeon’s observation underscores this truth. Many unbelievers possess outward abundance yet remain empty. They gain wealth but not contentment. The officer would see abundance restored to Samaria, but he would gain nothing from it because he rejected God’s word.

2. (2 Kings 7:3-5) Four lepers come upon the deserted Syrian camp.

And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate, and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die. If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there, and if we sit still here, we die also, now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians, if they save us alive, we shall live, and if they kill us, we shall but die. And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians, and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there.

COMMENTARY

a. Now there were four leprous men

These four men were positioned at the entrance of the gate because they were outcasts. Under the Law, lepers were excluded from normal life and were required to stay outside the city because their condition made them ceremonially unclean. Leviticus 13:46 states, “All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled, he is unclean, he shall dwell alone, without the camp shall his habitation be.” Their suffering was not only physical, but social and emotional. They were cut off from family, community, and worship.

Scripture consistently highlights the plight of the afflicted and rejected, because God delights to show mercy to those whom society despises. This is why the Bible is filled with narratives about the broken, the weak, and the cast aside. God’s grace shines brightest when He reaches into the lowest places.

i. Spurgeon’s observation

Spurgeon notes that if one removed the stories involving the poor, afflicted, and grief stricken, the Bible would be a small book. God reveals Himself through the suffering of His people, and He draws near to the brokenhearted, as it is written in Psalm 34:18, “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”

ii. Jewish traditions concerning Gehazi

Some Jewish traditions, though unfounded, claim that these four lepers were Gehazi and his three sons. Gehazi had been struck with leprosy because of his covetousness toward Naaman, as Elisha declared in 2 Kings 5:27, “The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever.” Scripture does not confirm this identification, but the tradition reflects how deeply Gehazi’s judgment impacted later Jewish thought.

b. Why are we sitting here until we die

These men engaged in clear and rational reasoning. If they remained where they were, they would die from starvation. If they went into the city, they would still die because the famine raged inside. Their only remaining option, perilous though it seemed, was to surrender to the Syrians. They understood that staying put guaranteed death. Going to the Syrians at least preserved a possibility of survival.

Their reasoning mirrors the spiritual truth that remaining in sin guarantees death, but fleeing to mercy offers life. Spurgeon applies this logic evangelistically. It is better to go to Christ and plead for grace than remain where death is certain. This is consistent with John 6:37, “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”

i. Spurgeon’s analogy

Spurgeon fittingly remarked that one can stay where they are and perish, or they can go to Christ and risk rejection. Yet Christ has promised that He receives all who come in faith. A sinner who stays in unbelief is certain to die, but one who turns to the Lord discovers mercy.

c. When they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there

The Syrian army had been encamped around Samaria for many months. Their tents, animals, food, and supplies surrounded the city. This made the sudden emptiness of the camp astonishing. The lepers approached expecting immediate danger, yet they encountered total silence. The camp was fully supplied, yet no soldiers remained.

This discovery revealed the hidden hand of God. Only the Lord could empty an entire army camp without a single wounded soldier or any sign of conflict. God delivered Israel by His own power, fulfilling the promise He made through Elisha.

i. Their approach to the far side of the camp

The phrase to the uttermost part of the camp suggests that the lepers walked all the way around to the furthest edge of the Syrian encampment, the side least guarded and farthest from the city. This was a wise tactical decision, because approaching the front lines would have been suicidal. Their movement around the perimeter placed them in the area most likely to give them a chance at survival.

ii. This approach may have been used by God for the miracle

Some commentators suggest that God may have amplified the sound of their footsteps, creating the illusion of an approaching army and terrifying the Syrians. Whether or not this is exactly how God acted, the emphasis remains that the Lord used the weakest, most despised outcasts in Samaria to uncover the miracle. God does not need strength to accomplish His purpose. He often works through those considered nothing in the eyes of the world, which echoes 1 Corinthians 1:27, “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.”

3. (2 Kings 7:6-7) How God caused the Syrians to abandon their camp

For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host, and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us. Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life.

a. For the LORD had caused the army of the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots… the noise of a great army

Israel had no military ability to break the siege. The situation was beyond human remedy. Yet God did what no man could do. He created the sound of a massive army approaching. Whether He placed soundwaves into the air or placed the perception of sound directly into the soldiers’ minds, the effect was the same. Panic seized them.

This demonstrates God’s sovereignty over the senses of men. In 2 Kings 6:18, God struck the Syrian army with blindness. Here, He strikes an army with terror through the sense of hearing. He manipulates the perceptions of the mighty to accomplish His will, fulfilling the truth of Proverbs 21:1, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water, he turneth it whithersoever he will.”

i. The method

Scripture does not specify the mechanism. God could have:

• Miraculously created literal sound in the environment, or

• Caused auditory perception internally within the minds of the Syrians

Both options are consistent with His power. God can work externally or internally upon human senses. Regardless of the method, the miracle was decisive and terrifying.

ii. God struck one army blind and another deafened by fear

Earlier, the Lord blinded an entire Syrian unit so they could not see the obvious truth in front of them. Now He caused an army to hear what did not exist. Both miracles display that human strength is nothing before the God who controls the senses of sight and hearing. The armies of the world move at His command.

b. And left the camp intact

The Syrians fled at twilight, abandoning everything. The camp remained completely intact. Their tents, weapons, supplies, clothing, food, animals, and treasures were all left behind. The greatest army in the region had fled as if pursued by a physical force, though none existed. God single handedly broke the siege without a single Israelite drawing a sword.

This miracle created an ironic contrast. Freedom and abundance were already outside the city walls, yet the people within Samaria still lived as if famine and death surrounded them. Blessing had arrived, but ignorance kept them in misery.

i. Spurgeon’s observation

The city was free long before they realized it. Spurgeon notes that the people went to sleep believing judgment still hovered over them, not knowing God had already delivered them. They were prisoners only because they did not yet know the truth.

This mirrors the spiritual condition of many who remain in fear even when God has provided salvation. John 8:32 says, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Deliverance may be present, yet without knowledge it is not enjoyed.

4. (2 Kings 7:8-9) After enjoying it all, the lepers realize their responsibility

And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it, and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it. Then they said one to another, We do not well, this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace, if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us, now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king’s household.

a. They went into one tent and ate and drank

After months of starvation, the lepers entered the first tent and found immediate relief. Food, drink, and supplies in abundance greeted them. Their suffering made this moment overwhelming. It was natural and right for them to eat and drink. God had miraculously provided, and they became the first beneficiaries of His deliverance.

Their experience reflects a consistent biblical pattern. God delights to begin His work with the lowly and the rejected. As 1 Samuel 2:8 declares, “He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill.” God uses unexpected vessels to display His grace.

b. And went and hid it

Knowing that the camp would eventually be discovered by others, they hid silver, gold, and clothing so that they might secure future provision for themselves. Their motives were understandable. They had lived in misery, and now a sudden abundance confronted them. They acted instinctively, motivated by both survival and gratitude.

Their initial instinct to gather and protect is not condemned. Scripture records the fact plainly. Yet something greater soon stirred within them.

c. We are not doing right… come, let us go and tell

After satisfying their immediate hunger, their conscience awakened. They realized that to enjoy the blessings of God while remaining silent was morally wrong. Their people inside the city were still starving. They knew that countless men, women, and children were dying while the answer to their suffering lay outside the gates.

The lepers concluded that:

• This day was a day of good news

• Silence was sinful

• Delay would bring guilt

Their conviction reflects a deep moral truth. When God gives salvation, that salvation becomes a stewardship. Those who have received mercy have a responsibility to proclaim it. Romans 1:14-15 echoes this burden, “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians… so, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel.”

i. Spurgeon’s observation

Spurgeon notes that if the only product of religion is comfort for the individual soul, such a person has misunderstood Christ entirely. Christ saves us from selfishness. His grace compels proclamation. To claim salvation and yet live without concern for others is inconsistent with the heart of the Savior who came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).

ii. They enjoyed the feast first

The lepers enjoyed the feast before they went to tell others. This order is significant. It represents the biblical principle that no one can rightly share the good news until they have themselves tasted its goodness. The proclamation of truth flows out of personal experience of grace.

This is the pattern of Psalm 34:8, “O taste and see that the Lord is good.” First taste, then testify. First receive the blessing, then carry the message.

B. The plundering of the camp of the Syrians

1. (2 Kings 7:10-15) The king discovers the empty camp of the Syrian army

So they came and called unto the porter of the city, and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and the tents as they were. And he called the porters, and they told it to the king’s house within. And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now shew you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we be hungry, therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city. And one of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city, behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it, behold, I say, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed, and let us send and see. They took therefore two chariot horses, and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see. And they went after them unto Jordan, and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king.

a. They went and called to the gatekeepers of the city

The lepers, being outcasts, could not enter the city. They had no access to the king or the nobles. Their only means of communication was through the gatekeepers. They did exactly what was within their power. They spoke to those they could reach.

This displays a principle of faithfulness. God does not expect His people to accomplish what lies outside their ability. He expects faithfulness with what is in their power. The lepers were marginalized men, yet they became the first heralds of God’s deliverance.

Their action reflects Zechariah 4:10, “For who hath despised the day of small things.” The smallest messenger may carry the greatest message.

b. And the gatekeepers called out, and they told it

The message spread person to person in the simplest and most natural way. The lepers told the gatekeepers, the gatekeepers cried out, and the message eventually reached the king. The good news spread by ordinary communication.

This mirrors the spread of the gospel. Truth travels through simple testimony, one voice telling another. Romans 10:14 illustrates this chain: “And how shall they hear without a preacher.” God uses ordinary vessels to spread life changing truth.

c. So let us send them and see

One servant suggested testing the report. This was prudent and reasonable. The servant recognized that the remaining horses were as good as dead anyway. If they stayed in the city, famine would soon kill them. If they went to scout the Syrian camp and were killed, their fate would be no worse.

This was a moment of clarity. The servant judged the situation accurately. Israel had nothing left to lose by testing the report. The decision to investigate opened the way for the entire nation to receive the blessing that God had already provided.

Their scouting party verified the truth. The road to the Jordan was littered with garments and weapons, evidence of the frantic flight of the Syrians. The messengers returned with confirmation that God had indeed delivered Samaria.

2. (2 Kings 7:16) The fulfillment of Elisha’s prophecy

And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord.

a. Then the people went out and plundered the tents of the Syrians

The moment the people learned the news was true, they rushed out to the camp. The hunger, desperation, and misery of the siege drove them to respond with urgency. The result was immediate relief and overflowing abundance. The people needed no urging once they realized God had provided.

This scene fulfills the principle in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Awareness of need prepares the heart to receive the provision of God.

i. Meyer’s observation

The king’s officer mocked the prophecy, and likely many agreed with him. Yet the truth of God stood firm. When the people themselves tasted and handled the spoil, every cynical objection was swept away. The living experience of God’s provision silenced unbelief.

b. According to the word of the LORD

The prophecy given through Elisha was fulfilled down to the exact detail. God had promised specific prices at the market, and those exact prices were realized within twenty four hours. God’s timing was perfect, His word precise, and His power unmistakable.

This fulfills the promise of Isaiah 55:11, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth, it shall not return unto me void.” Every syllable spoken through the prophet accomplished its purpose.

The abundance of the camp, the fall of the siege, the restoration of commerce, and the precise market prices all testified that the God of Israel had acted.

3. (2 Kings 7:17-20) The death of the king’s doubting officer

And the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate, and the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him. And it came to pass, as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall be to morrow about this time in the gate of Samaria. And that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be, and he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof. And so it fell out unto him, for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died.

a. The king had appointed the officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate

This officer, the king’s trusted servant, had openly mocked the prophecy of God, questioning whether the Lord Himself could provide food under siege conditions. The king placed him in charge of the gate, likely unaware of the fate awaiting him, but possibly also as a form of rebuke or irony. The man who declared that God could not act was stationed at the very place where the miracle would be seen.

He had to stand there and watch the fulfillment of the prophecy he ridiculed. This placed him in the most humiliating position possible. He had to oversee the crowds rushing out to enjoy the miracle of provision he claimed God could not accomplish. His unbelief was publicly exposed, and he became the visible embodiment of Proverbs 26:27, “Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein, and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.”

The king may have wanted him to witness how wrong he was. Yet God had already decreed something far more severe: the officer would see the blessing, but he would not partake of it.

b. For the people trampled him in the gate, and he died

The crowds surged through the gate in desperation, driven by famine, hunger, and the sudden news of abundance. In the frenzy, the officer was trampled to death. This fulfilled Elisha’s prophecy with terrifying precision. God’s word about the food came true, and God’s word about the officer came true. The death of this man was not an accident. It was a divine judgment for unbelief.

He saw the fulfillment of the prophecy with his own eyes. He heard the noise of the crowd rushing to the plunder. He witnessed the deliverance of Samaria. Yet he tasted nothing. The very moment of blessing became the moment of his destruction.

This illustrates the principle in Hebrews 4:2, “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them, but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith.” The officer heard the word but refused to believe. His unbelief cost him everything.

He serves as a sober warning. Unbelief is not merely intellectual hesitation. It is a moral rejection of the trustworthiness of God. This man stood in the place of blessing, witnessed the miracle of provision, and died without receiving it. The blessing was near, but he could not enjoy it.

The narrative closes with the solemn words, “And so it happened to him.” This stamps God’s authority over every prophecy. Not one word failed. Not one detail slipped. God’s prophecy regarding food and God’s prophecy regarding judgment were both fulfilled completely.