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2 Kings 8:1-6 ~ Epilogue to the story of the woman of Shunem
The epilogue to the story of the Shunammite woman who was Elisha's benefactress interrupts the story of Elisha's dealings with the Aramaeans and provides the information that seven years have passed since the last Aramaean war. Elisha's warning to his friend concerning the famine is another example of his gift to see into the future. Famines were not uncommon in the ancient Near East. They were often the result of a lack of rainfall in the crop growing season, destructive hail storms, rain out of season, insect infestation, and the burning of crops during invasion. For example:
There were famines that were the result of natural causes:
- During the lifetime of Abraham (Gen 12:10)
- During the lifetime of Isaac (Gen 26:1)
- During the lifetime of Joseph son of Jacob (Gen 41:56)
- During the lifetime of Ruth (Ru 1:1)
While other Old Testament famines occurred because of divine judgment or war:
- During the lifetime of David (2 Sam 21:1)
- During the lifetime of Elijah (1 Kng 17:1; 18:2)
- During the lifetime of Elisha (2 Kng 6:25; 8:1)
- During the time of Jeremiah (Jer 14:15-16; 52:6-7)
- During the lifetime of Nehemiah (Neh 5:3)
It is not mentioned by the inspired writer, but it is likely that this famine began as a result of the war with the Aramaeans who ravaged the countryside during the siege. They would have prevented the local population from getting into the fields to either plant or harvest crops and then burned the fields during their retreat from Israel. But the famine continued as a result of God's divine judgment, probably because of the failure of the people to repent their sinful practices after God saved them from their enemy.
The king has been hearing stories of Elisha's great deeds, including the story of the resurrection of her son, just as she approaches the king with her petition. Just having heard her story inclines the king to a favorable decision concerning not only the return of her ancestral lands but the revenue collected from those years being paid to her.
Notice that it is Elisha's servant Gehazi who was telling the kings the stories of Elisha's mighty works. Despite the judgment against him for greed, lying and the resulting skin disease he carried, he has apparently continued in Elisha's service. Also notice that because of this and his access to the king, the skin condition of Naaman that he acquired in penance for his sins could not have been leprosy.
2 Kings 8:7-15 ~ Elisha and Hazael of Damascus
The mission Yahweh gave Elijah in 1 Kings 19:15-18 was only partially fulfilled in the anointing of Elisha. The other two parts were left uncompleted and will be fulfilled by Elisha and a disciple of Elisha. The Aramaean king is Ben-Hadad II, the same king in 1 Kings 20:1 and the probably the king of Aram who sent the letter to King Jehoram concerning Naaman (5:1-5).
Elisha has come to Damascus to fulfill the mission mentioned in 1 Kings 19:15. King Ben-Hadad knows of Elisha's miracles (as in the case of the Aramaean army commander Naaman), and he also knows that the prophet has the gift of knowing future events. Therefore, he sends his minister, Hazael, with a costly present along with his request for the prophet to reveal his future.
Elisha has the foreknowledge that Ben Hadad will not die of his illness, but he will die.
Question: What happens to Elisha as he is conversing with Hazael?
Answer: Elisha receives a vision concerning Hazael's future and the destruction he will bring on Israel.
The next day Hazael assassinated King Ben-Hadad II by smothering him with a wet cloth. Elisha's prophecy was fulfilled.
Hazael is one of the over 50 people named in the Bible whose existence is supported by ancient secular inscriptions. Hazael is named as the king of Damascus in Assyrian records where the Assyrians sources called him "son of nobody" because of his non-royal background.
2 Kings 8:16-24 ~ The reign of Jehoram in Judah (848 - 841 BC)
See the parallel passage in 2 Chronicles 21:1-20. Jehoram of Judah was co-regent with his father, King Jehoshaphat for the last 4-5 years of Jehoshaphat's reign. He became the sole ruler after his father's death in c. 848 BC, ruling as the fifth Davidic king of Judah from 848-841 BC.
The "lamp" is a Davidic heir to carry on the Davidic line. For the sake of God's covenant promise to David, He will not destroy David's dynasty. It is a dynasty over which a Davidic king is to rule forever, and that promise is fulfilled in Jesus, son of Mary, son of David, Son of God and "Light" of the world.
During the reign of Jehoram of Judah, both the Philistines and the Arabians invaded the kingdom and brought great hardship on the people. All Jehoram's sons were killed with the exception of his youngest son (2 Chr 21:16-17). Jehoram died of a terrible sickness of the bowels (2 Chr 21:18-20) in c. 841 BC and was succeeded by his youngest son, a grandson of Ahab and Jezebel of Israel; his name was Ahaziah (also called Jehoahaz).
2 Kings 8:25-29 ~ The reign of Ahaziah in Judah (841 BC)
See 2 Chronicles 22:1-9 for the parallel passage on the history of Ahaziah. In c. 841 BC, Ahaziah, Jehoram's only surviving son, succeeded his father as king of Judah (2 Chr. 21:17). His mother was Athaliah, the daughter of King Ahab of Israel of the "House of Omri." In some passages she is referred to as a "daughter of Omri" (2 Chr 22:2), meaning she was of the lineage of Omri, her grandfather and the founder of the dynastic house. Like her father Ahab, she promoted pagan worship and influence her son, Ahaziah, to apostatize from Yahweh.(3) Notice that once again the mother of the king of Judah, who holds the office of Gebirah (Queen Mother), is named by the inspired writer.
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CHALLENGE: “The Bible would be more credible if it contained scientific knowledge that wasn’t known when it was written (e.g., if it said, ‘There are no rivers longer than the Amazon,’ ‘The atomic theory of matter is true,’ or ‘Epidemics are caused by germs’).”
DEFENSE: God could do this if he chose, but it doesn’t appear he has. Scripture is a religious rather than scientific text, and God has given us other evidence for our faith.
Some think Scripture contains scientific foreknowledge. For example, Isaiah 40:22 says God “sits above the circle of the earth,” which some think refers to earth’s spherical shape. This isn’t convincing (the passage is poetry—God doesn’t literally “sit” anywhere—and a circle is not a sphere; “the circle of the earth” might be envisioned as the horizon or as a flat disk).
Putting scientific foreknowledge in Scripture would be of limited use. It wouldn’t help the original audience—only people living after the relevant science was discovered, perhaps thousands of years later. It would even be an apologetic distraction if the science of one age disagreed with it.
If Scripture said, “Epidemics are caused by germs,” people living after Galen, who thought epidemics were caused by bad air, would have their confidence in Scripture weakened rather than strengthened. Even once the correct science was discovered, this wouldn’t guarantee people would see it as foreknowledge.
There’s a limit to how advanced the science in Scripture could be since the biblical languages lacked technical scientific terms. Without these, only basic concepts could be described, but basic concepts could be attributed to ancient knowledge rather than foreknowledge.
Suppose the Bible said, “The longest river is in a southern land on the other side of the world” (the Israelites had no knowledge of or name for the Amazon, so a definite description would be needed). After the Amazon’s discovery, would that convince people Scripture contained supernatural information or would they conclude there must have been ancient contact between the Old and New Worlds?
Similarly, if the Bible endorsed the atomic theory of matter, people would simply conclude there were ancient Hebrew atomists, just as there were ancient Greek atomists (e.g., the philosophers Leucippus and Democritus).
Finally, we don’t know that Scripture doesn’t contain such foreknowledge. Maybe the relevant science hasn’t been discovered yet.
Jimmy Akin, A Daily Defense: 365 Days (Plus One) to Becoming a Better Apologist
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