What is the meaning of 2 Kings 4:23? Why would you go to him today? Elisha had become the family’s trusted “man of God,” yet the husband is puzzled by his wife’s sudden desire to make the 15-mile journey to Mount Carmel. • Regular visits to a prophet were usually scheduled and communal, not spontaneous. Compare the yearly trips of Elkanah’s family to Shiloh (1 Samuel 1:3, 7). • The husband assumes nothing urgent could have happened; their son had been in the field that morning (2 Kings 4:18). • His question shows that, in his mind, prophetic ministry was more about set occasions than about an ever-present divine help. Psalm 46:1 corrects that assumption: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble”. It is not a New Moon or a Sabbath. Old-covenant Israel marked time with rhythms that fostered worship and teaching. • New Moon: the first day of each month, set aside for burnt offerings and trumpet blasts (Numbers 28:11–15). Prophets often taught on these days (Ezekiel 46:3). • Sabbath: the weekly day of rest and gathering for instruction (Leviticus 23:3). Amos 8:5 shows merchants impatiently waiting for the Sabbath and New Moon to end so business could resume—evidence that these days curtailed normal activity. • By mentioning both, the husband lumps them together as the only obvious times to seek spiritual counsel. Yet God’s mercy is not restricted to the calendar; He responds whenever His people call (Psalm 55:17; Isaiah 65:24). Everything is all right. The Hebrew word behind this reply is shalom—“peace, wholeness.” • She is not hiding the crisis; she is declaring trust. Her son lies dead (2 Kings 4:20), yet she speaks the language of faith, much like Abraham who was “fully convinced that God was able to do what He had promised” (Romans 4:21). • She reserves the full story for Elisha, the one through whom God had given the child (2 Kings 4:16). Faith often speaks before sight, as seen in the woman with the flow of blood—“If I just touch His cloak, I will be healed” (Matthew 9:21). • Her words anticipate the miracle. When Gehazi later asks, she repeats, “Everything is all right” (2 Kings 4:26), keeping her focus on God’s power rather than on the problem. summary 2 Kings 4:23 captures a clash between routine religion and bold, personal faith. The husband thinks divine help is tied to scheduled holy days, but his wife knows that the living God can intervene at any moment. Her confident “Everything is all right” sets the stage for the resurrection of her son and reminds readers that faith speaks peace in the face of death, trusting the Lord who is always accessible and always able. |
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