IIT UBF - University Bible Fellowship at IIT

Daily Bread

Hear the Word of the Lord

Date: Mar. 26, 2025

Passage

2 Kings 6:24-7:2 (ESV)

24 Afterward Ben-hadad king of Syria mustered his entire army and went up and besieged Samaria. 25 And there was a great famine in Samaria, as they besieged it, until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and the fourth part of a kab of dove’s dung for five shekels of silver. 26 Now as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, “Help, my lord, O king!” 27 And he said, “If the LORD will not help you, how shall I help you? From the threshing floor, or from the winepress?” 28 And the king asked her, “What is your trouble?” She answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ 29 So we boiled my son and ate him. And on the next day I said to her, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him.’ But she has hidden her son.” 30 When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes—now he was passing by on the wall—and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth beneath on his body—31 and he said, “May God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today.”

32 Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. Now the king had dispatched a man from his presence, but before the messenger arrived Elisha said to the elders, “Do you see how this murderer has sent to take off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold the door fast against him. Is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?” 33 And while he was still speaking with them, the messenger came down to him and said, “This trouble is from the LORD! Why should I wait for the LORD any longer?”

But Elisha said, “Hear the word of the LORD: thus says the LORD, Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.” Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned said to the man of God, “If the LORD himself should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” But he said, “You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it.”

Daily Bread

Key Verse: 6:7:1

And he said, “Take it up.” So he reached out his hand and took it.

The King of Aram laid siege to Samaria, the capital of Israel. The long siege created extreme famine in the city, and the people suffered unspeakably from starvation. As the helpless king of Israel was walking on the wall of the city to inspect conditions, he heard the most horrific and bleakest story of cannibalism. It must have sickened his heart. Yet, instead of turning his heart to God and waiting for God’s deliverance, he blamed God and his prophet for the whole affair and wanted to kill Elisha. This is a common response when life becomes very hard and difficult. Prolonged hardships are the times when we need to hold onto God and wait for him to help.

Elisha declared that within a day the siege would be over and there would be plenty to eat. After listening to Elisha, the officer scoffed at Elisha’s prophecy. He did not know that human extremity is God’s opportunity to demonstrate his power. Elisha assured the officer that the prophecy would come true, but his unbelief would cause him to miss God’s miraculous blessing. Failing to believe the promises of God results in failing to receive God’s blessings. God’s words of promise are meant to be fulfilled. We need to hold onto them and experience God’s blessings.

Prayer: Lord, help me turn my heart to you in times of difficulties, hold onto your words of promise, and wait for your help and blessing.

One Word: God can open the floodgates of heaven

Daily Bread

Dear God, Where Are You?

Psalm 10:1-18

Key Verse: 10:17

  O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
    you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear

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