1. II Kings 4:31. Why do you think Elisha had to come personally to heal the child in this story?

Several contradictory explanations are offered by the commentators. It is always a matter of controversy to explain why a person is not healed, why the miracle did not take place. Some here impugn Gehazi’s character, which will soon enough be exposed in the text. Others go after Elisha himself, probably not a worthwhile trail to follow. I believe that perhaps the mother is the key.

Elisha’s faith was that the rod, applied by his servant, would save the day. I believe it would have happened, except for the intervening of the mother, that seems to have stopped the flow of faith from one method to another.

The mother insisted that Elisha himself come. She was not going home without the prophet! Her faith said, God is going to heal my son, but only through the man Elisha. And God honored that faith.

Here is a case where simple faith was overruled by passionate mother-style faith. But to God be all the glory for what happened.

2. II Kings 5:17-18. Would Jesus have answered Naaman the same way as Elisha did? Should we bow down to other gods if our position or job demands it?

Naaman was actually asking permission to compromise. That is, at least, the way we read it today. I love you, Lord, but not enough to sacrifice my job or even my life. Those who came to Jesus and wanted to follow Him on the road, were told that it would cost them everything, and they should count that cost. No such demand is put on the newly-healed Naaman. God will have a worshiper at a pagan court, if even a silent one, and it seems He is pleased with the arrangement.

My sense is that, given time, and deeper understanding of the God of Israel, and the promises He has made for His people, will produce a Naaman that is indeed willing to lay it all down. Let the Captain know that God calls Himself the only true God, that there really are no other gods before Him, that His ways are perfect and good, and Naaman will take that next step.

So it must be in our calling of disciples today. Some only know Him as a good God who does good things for people. They are quite respectful of Him, deeply appreciative of what He did for them, but only lack teaching and experience of the reality of their Heavenly friend. When that is added, the disciples will be called out and up.

We must be careful not to judge those who are in positions in life that would, for us, be compromising. How long did it take us to see the excellency of Jesus Christ, and to be willing to die if need be for His sake?

3. II Kings 6:1? Who are these “sons of the prophets”?

Once more, a quote is my best answer to this question. This group of men shows up several times and may cause you to wonder of their identity. Here is Holman’s Bible Dictionary:

“Members of a band or guild of prophets. ‘Sons of’ refers to membership in a group or class and does not imply a family relationship. ‘Sons of the prophets’ suggests a community or guild of prophets. The most extensive use of the expression occurs in the Elisha stories where the prophet is portrayed as the leader of the prophetic guild. In that capacity, Elisha cared for the needs of a prophet's widow (2 Kings 4:1-7 ), agreed to the building of a common dwelling (2 Kings 6:1-7 ), and presided at a common meal (2 Kings 4:38-44 ). The sons of the prophets functioned either as witnesses (2Kings 2:3,2Kings 2:5,2Kings 2:7,2 Kings 2:15 ) or as agents of Elisha's ministry (2 Kings 9:1-3 ).

“The single reference outside the Elisha cycle to the sons of the prophets is to someone identified as ‘a certain man of the sons of the prophets’ who condemned Ahab's release of Ben-Hadad (1 Kings 20:35-42 ). The ‘company of prophets’ (1Samuel 10:5,1 Samuel 10:10; 1 Samuel 19:20 ) are groups of prophets whose charismatic spirit involved Saul in prophecy (1 Samuel 10:10 ) and, later, both Saul and his messengers (1 Samuel 19:20 ).

“Amos' famous declaration, ‘I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet’ (1 Samuel 7:14 NAS) is probably a declaration of independence from the prophetic guilds of his day. Similarly, Jeremiah's claim that God made him a prophet even before conception ( Jeremiah 1:5 ) may obliquely represent a rejection of association with the prophetic schools of Judah.”

4. II Kings 6:22. Why did Elisha feed his enemies?

Through the Spirit’s wisdom, Elisha is using this miraculous feeding as an advertisement of the Power of the God of Israel. The word-of-mouth testimony of those who were fed permeated the ranks of the Syrian military to the point that “marauding bands of Syrians did not come again into the land of Israel”! I guess not. They had no desire to be facing Elisha’s wonderful God again.

The wisdom, repeated in Proverbs, is also carried over into the teachings of Jesus, the same God who worked this Elisha-era miracle. Jesus, through Paul, taught us to heap coals of fire upon the heads of our enemies by feeding them and caring for them.