Brenda Speaks

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1 Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.Who is Elisha talking to?2 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.Elisha was talking to the king of Israel and his right-hand man.3 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?4 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.Four hungry men who were diseased said we've got to do something.  If we go home we die, if we go to the enemy we might die there too. Let's just take our chances and perhaps the Syrians will allow us to live.  And they went to the enemy's side.5 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.When the four men arrived, they were amazed that no humans were there! They saw a lot of stuff they wanted, everywhere!6 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.The enemies came to fight.  God causes their imagination to take over.  They heard what was not there. They responded to a sound that no one else heard but them.  God is protecting his children behind the scene.7 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.Amazing, amazing.  Running and no one is behind you?  A whole army running from the sound that God made like a dog's whistle.  For your ears only!8 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.Four men who were sick are stealing.  When we take and hide what we take, we are thieves.9 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.Yes, the truth comes out of the four!!  Let us do right.  Nighttime stealing is fun.  It's the daylight that spoils the party.10 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.Confession is made salvation.  Tell the truth! And that they did!!11 And he called the porters; and they told it to the king's house within.What did you say? Hold on!  I must tell the king!12 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.A bad king gives bad advice.  He drew his own conclusion.  When we live badly, we think badly.  We speak our hearts when we haven't totally submitted to God.  He could not believe what he heard because, perhaps, that was a strategy he wished he could have come up with himself.13 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.Ok, king, we have 5 horses.  What do we have to lose? If we take a chance and check out what they are saying;  Who knows? They may be telling the truth.14 They took therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see.They left to check out what the 4 men with leprosy told them.15 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.Yep king!! They were not lying!!!!16 And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD.The people found out about the Syrian's departure.  Then, the people ran to find what was left behind by the Syrians.
17 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.The king told his right-hand man to take charge. He took charge and died. 18 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:19 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.  20 And so it fell out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died.Verses 18-20 summarizes that every word the prophet said came to pass. It is good to know what God said will come to pass.  We have the ability to choose what we want from his menu.  I chose what is good.