2 Kings 8:10
Elisha answered, "Go and tell him, 'You will surely recover.' But the LORD has shown me that in fact he will die."
Elisha answered,

Elisha spoke with the authority of the LORD, whose purposes extended beyond the immediate illness of Ben-hadad and reached into the future of Aram and Israel.

1Ki 22:14 As surely as the LORD lives, I will speak…
2Ki 1:16 And Elijah said to King Ahaziah, “This is what the LORD says…
2Ki 3:14 Then Elisha said, “As surely as the LORD of Hosts lives,…

“Go and tell him,

Hazael had come from Damascus as Ben-hadad’s servant, bearing costly gifts and seeking an answer from the God of Israel through His prophet.

2Ki 20:1 In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill.…
Isa 6:9 And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing,…
Jer 1:7 But the LORD told me: “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’…

‘You will surely recover.’

Ben-hadad’s disease was not, in itself, the cause that would end his life. Hazael could truthfully report that recovery was possible.

2Ki 20:5-6 Go back and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people…
Isa 38:5 Go and tell Hezekiah that this is what the LORD,…
Psa 41:3 The LORD will sustain him on his bed of illness…

But the LORD has shown me

God disclosed what human observation could not reveal. Elisha knew both Ben-hadad’s coming death and the evil that Hazael would soon carry out.

Amo 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His plan…
Num 12:6 He said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you…
Dan 2:22 He reveals the deep and hidden things; He knows…

that in fact he will die.”

Ben-hadad would die because Hazael would murder him after returning to Damascus. The Lord’s revelation exposed Hazael’s hidden intentions and prepared the way for his rise as king, through whom God would bring severe judgment upon Israel.

2Ki 1:4 Therefore this is what the LORD says: …
1Ki 14:12-13 As for you, get up and go home. When your feet enter…
2Sa 12:14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have shown…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Elisha
A prophet of God, successor to Elijah, known for his miracles and guidance to the kings of Israel.

2. Ben-Hadad
The king of Aram (Syria) who was ill and sought a prophecy regarding his recovery.

3. Hazael
A servant of Ben-Hadad who was sent to inquire of Elisha about the king's illness and later became king himself.

4. Aram (Syria)
A neighboring nation to Israel, often in conflict with Israel during the time of the kings.

5. The Prophecy
Elisha's message to Hazael, which contained a dual aspect—an immediate assurance of recovery and a longer-term prophecy of death.
Teaching Points
The Complexity of Prophecy
Prophecies can have multiple layers and fulfillments. Elisha's message to Hazael demonstrates that God's word can address both immediate and future realities.

God's Sovereignty
Despite human plans and actions, God's purposes prevail. This is evident in the way Elisha's prophecy unfolds, reminding us to trust in God's ultimate control over our lives.

The Deceptive Nature of Sin
Hazael's actions reveal how sin can lead to betrayal and murder. We must guard our hearts against the deceitfulness of sin and its potential to lead us astray.

The Role of a Prophet
Elisha's role as a prophet was to convey God's truth, even when it was difficult or complex. As believers, we are called to speak truth in love, guided by the Holy Spirit.

The Uncertainty of Life
Ben-Hadad's situation reminds us of life's unpredictability and the importance of living in accordance with God's will, acknowledging that our days are in His hands.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Elisha's prophecy to Hazael demonstrate the complexity of God's messages to His people?

2. In what ways does the account of Ben-Hadad and Hazael illustrate the sovereignty of God over human affairs?

3. How can we guard our hearts against the deceitfulness of sin, as seen in Hazael's actions?

4. What can we learn from Elisha's role as a prophet about speaking truth in today's world?

5. How does the uncertainty of Ben-Hadad's fate encourage us to live with an awareness of God's will in our daily lives?
Connections to Other Scriptures
2 Kings 8:15
This verse describes the fulfillment of Elisha's prophecy, where Hazael kills Ben-Hadad and becomes king.

1 Kings 19:15-17
God instructs Elijah to anoint Hazael as king over Aram, showing the divine orchestration behind these events.

Proverbs 19:21
This verse highlights the sovereignty of God's plans over human intentions, relevant to the dual prophecy given by Elisha.

James 4:13-15
This passage speaks to the uncertainty of life and the importance of acknowledging God's will, paralleling the unexpected outcome of Ben-Hadad's situation.
Ignorance of the FutureJ. E. Rankin, D. D.2 Kings 8:10
Elisha and HazadJ. Orr 2 Kings 8:7-15
Elisha, Hazael, and BenhadadC.H. Irwin 2 Kings 8:7-15
Striking CharactersHomilist2 Kings 8:7-15
Striking CharactersD. Thomas 2 Kings 8:7-16
People
Ahab, Ahaziah, Aram, Athaliah, Ben, Benhadad, Ben-hadad, David, Edomites, Elisha, Gehazi, Hadad, Hazael, Israelites, Jehoram, Jehoshaphat, Jezreel, Joram, Omri, Syrians
Places
Damascus, Edom, Jerusalem, Jezreel, Libnah, Ramah, Ramoth-gilead, Samaria, Syria, Zair
Topics
Better, Certainly, Clear, Death, Die, Elisha, Eli'sha, Fact, Howbeit, However, Mayest, Recover, Revealed, Revive, Seeing, Shewed, Shewn, Showed, Shown, Surely, Wilt
Dictionary of Bible Themes
2 Kings 8:10

     1403   God, revelation
     8135   knowing God, nature of
     9130   future, the

Library
The Story of Hazael
'So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels' burden, and came and stood before him, and said, Thy son Ben-hadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this disease? 10. And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover: howbeit the Lord hath shewed me that he shall surely die. 11. And he settled his countenance stedfastly, until he was ashamed: and the man of God wept. 12. And Hazael said,
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Hazael
BY REV. J. G. GREENHOUGH, M.A. "But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing?"--2 KINGS viii. 13. Hazael was the chief minister and prime favourite of Benhadad, the Syrian king. He had been raised from a humble lot and promoted to that high post by the partiality of his sovereign, who had doubtless discerned his exceptional abilities, and certainly placed implicit trust in him. Just now the king was dangerously ill, and Hazael had been sent to inquire of the prophet of Israel
George Milligan—Men of the Bible; Some Lesser-Known

The Assyrian Revival and the Struggle for Syria
Assur-nazir-pal (885-860) and Shalmaneser III. (860-825)--The kingdom of Urartu and its conquering princes: Menuas and Argistis. Assyria was the first to reappear on the scene of action. Less hampered by an ancient past than Egypt and Chaldaea, she was the sooner able to recover her strength after any disastrous crisis, and to assume again the offensive along the whole of her frontier line. Image Drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from a bas-relief at Koyunjik of the time of Sennacherib. The initial cut,
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 7

The Prophet Jonah.
It has been asserted without any sufficient reason, that Jonah is older than Hosea, Joel, Amos, and Obadiah,--that he is the oldest among the prophets whose written monuments have been preserved to us. The passage in 2 Kings xiv. 25, where it is said, that Jonah, the son of Amittai the prophet, prophesied to Jeroboam the happy success of his arms, and the restoration of the ancient boundaries of Israel, and that this prophecy was confirmed by the event, cannot decide in favour of this assertion,
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Redemption for Man Lost to be Sought in Christ.
1. The knowledge of God the Creator of no avail without faith in Christ the Redeemer. First reason. Second reason strengthened by the testimony of an Apostle. Conclusion. This doctrine entertained by the children of God in all ages from the beginning of the world. Error of throwing open heaven to the heathen, who know nothing of Christ. The pretexts for this refuted by passages of Scripture. 2. God never was propitious to the ancient Israelites without Christ the Mediator. First reason founded on
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Prophet Joel.
PRELIMINARY REMARKS. The position which has been assigned to Joel in the collection of the Minor Prophets, furnishes an external argument for the determination of the time at which Joel wrote. There cannot be any doubt that the Collectors were guided by a consideration of the chronology. The circumstance, that they placed the prophecies of Joel just between the two prophets who, according to the inscriptions and contents of their prophecies, belonged to the time of Jeroboam and Uzziah, is
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Christ's Prophetic Office
'The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet,' &c. Deut 18:85. Having spoken of the person of Christ, we are next to speak of the offices of Christ. These are Prophetic, Priestly, and Regal. 'The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet.' Enunciatur hic locus de Christo. It is spoken of Christ.' There are several names given to Christ as a Prophet. He is called the Counsellor' in Isa 9:9. In uno Christo Angelus foederis completur [The Messenger of the Covenant appears in Christ alone].
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Tit. 2:06 Thoughts for Young Men
WHEN St. Paul wrote his Epistle to Titus about his duty as a minister, he mentioned young men as a class requiring peculiar attention. After speaking of aged men and aged women, and young women, he adds this pithy advice, "Young men likewise exhort to be sober-minded" (Tit. 2:6). I am going to follow the Apostle's advice. I propose to offer a few words of friendly exhortation to young men. I am growing old myself, but there are few things I remember so well as the days of my youth. I have a most
John Charles Ryle—The Upper Room: Being a Few Truths for the Times

Commerce
The remarkable change which we have noticed in the views of Jewish authorities, from contempt to almost affectation of manual labour, could certainly not have been arbitrary. But as we fail to discover here any religious motive, we can only account for it on the score of altered political and social circumstances. So long as the people were, at least nominally, independent, and in possession of their own land, constant engagement in a trade would probably mark an inferior social stage, and imply
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Original Sin
Q-16: DID ALL MANKIND FALL IN ADAM'S FIRST TRANSGRESSION? A: The covenant being made with Adam, not only for himself, but for his posterity, all mankind descending from him, by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and fell with him in his first transgression. 'By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin,' &c. Rom 5:12. Adam being a representative person, while he stood, we stood; when he fell, we fell, We sinned in Adam; so it is in the text, In whom all have sinned.' Adam was the head
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Kings
The book[1] of Kings is strikingly unlike any modern historical narrative. Its comparative brevity, its curious perspective, and-with some brilliant exceptions--its relative monotony, are obvious to the most cursory perusal, and to understand these things is, in large measure, to understand the book. It covers a period of no less than four centuries. Beginning with the death of David and the accession of Solomon (1 Kings i., ii.) it traverses his reign with considerable fulness (1 Kings iii.-xi.),
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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