Elisha 9 - Believe God’s True Prophets and You Will Do Well

David W Palmer

(2 Chronicles 20:20 NET) … “Trust in the LORD your God and you will be safe! Trust in the message of his prophets and you will win.”

After the enemy’s siege—leading to the lockdown of Samaria by the Arameans (Syrians)—and after God’s miraculous deliverance and restoration of what the enemy had stolen, people returned to a relatively normal life … for a time. But, because Baal worship was still rife, and because the Jezebel / Ahab cabal was still in control through the reign of Ahab’s sons, God continued to shake and deal with the kingdom. Not to mention that they had moved out from under his covering, which left them exposed to the curse. So next, God warned of a 7-year famine:

(2 Kings 8:1 NKJV) Then Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, “Arise and go, you and your household, and stay wherever you can; for the LORD has called for a famine, and furthermore, it will come upon the land for seven years.”

We face a similar scenario today; even though many in our nations don’t want false worship and ungodly laws, evil people are still in positions of power. Plus sin is rife in many areas of our society; genuine worship of God is certainly not universal—with the majority of people not interested in corporate worship of God. Thus, we are destined for shaking, the curse, and the ramifications of sin. Our nations may face famines through shortages, floods, droughts, disease, sieges, and financial upheaval; but as we read in today’s biblical story, God can and will protect and provide for his covenant partners—his children:

(2 Kings 8:1 NLT) Elisha had told the woman whose son he had brought back to life, “Take your family and move to some other place, for the LORD has called for a famine on Israel that will last for seven years.”

In Genesis, Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream in which God warned him of an impending seven year drought; it would lead to a major famine (See: Gen. 41). Pharaoh wisely accepted God’s prophetic word and looked to God’s wisdom through Joseph. At that time, Joseph was God’s man, anointed by the Holy Spirit with wisdom, leadership, and insight. This way, the people of Egypt survived the seven bad years.

(Genesis 26:1–3, 12–13 NKJV) There was a famine in the land … {2} Then the LORD appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. {3} Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.” ... {12} Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him. {13} The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous.

God specifically told Isaac not to go to the world system for support, despite the crippling drought. Instead, God said to stay where he was. So instead of defecting to the world, Isaac depended fully on God’s normal way of provision: sowing and reaping. He sowed where he was, and God got the provision to him: he “reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him.” What’s more, it didn’t end with one harvest, he continued to do well by listening to what God said: “The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous.”

Elisha’s hostess had to move to be in God’s blessing and provision; Isaac had to stay where he was and go through the drought, but he was blessed in the middle of it. And Pharaoh had to turn his life, his possessions, and his resources over to God in step by step obedience to his anointed mouthpiece; as a result, he and his nation survived the devil’s attempt to kill them all.

(2 Kings 8:2 NLT) So the woman did as the man of God instructed. She took her family and settled in the land of the Philistines for seven years.

As we read on in today’s Bible narrative, we see that not only did the widow survive in the famine, but that God’s supply to her was abundant—setting her up for the rest of her life. God restored all that she previously had, plus she was the recipient of a transfer of provision just like the citizens of Samaria had received after the Aramean siege:

(2 Kings 8:3–6 NLT) After the famine ended she returned from the land of the Philistines, and she went to see the king about getting back her house and land. {4} As she came in, the king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God. The king had just said, “Tell me some stories about the great things Elisha has done.” {5} And Gehazi was telling the king about the time Elisha had brought a boy back to life. At that very moment, the mother of the boy walked in to make her appeal to the king about her house and land. “Look, my lord the king!” Gehazi exclaimed. “Here is the woman now, and this is her son—the very one Elisha brought back to life!” {6} “Is this true?” the king asked her. And she told him the story. So he directed one of his officials to see that everything she had lost was restored to her, including the value of any crops that had been harvested during her absence.

This is amazing. The woman who had hosted God’s man previously (See: 2 Kings 4), had been generous to the work of God, and who obeyed the prophetic word from God’s true prophet, had his provision during the famine. But, what’s even more astounding, is that when she returned, not only did God restore everything that she previously owned, but he gave her all the proceeds from the land that had been gathered during the seven years of her absence. This would have been a huge blessing and provision for her and her family. God provided for her throughout the shaking, oppressed, cursed time; and then he not only gave her full restoration, but he provided copiously for her future.

Because of the state of our societies and leaders, our nations will shake, squirm, and feel the pain of the enemy’s curse. But, if we follow in the footsteps of the woman in today’s story, Isaac, and even Joseph’s Pharaoh, we can stay in God’s protection, provision, and blessing. Stay generous to God’s work, and obey God’s genuine prophetic words—even when they seem illogical. Remember, his words will always line up with Scripture, be confirmed in the mouth of two or three witnesses, and be witnessed by a green light in our spirit man. But they will not always seem logical to our natural mind, and they will certainly go in a different direction to what the world suggests. Also remember that the world’s experts are not necessarily speaking God’s wisdom; to be blessed, you need to walk in the counsel of God:

(Psalm 1:1–6 NKJV) Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; {2} But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. {3} He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. {4} The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. {5} Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. {6} For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.