A Table in the Presence of My Enemies

The title of this post comes from the most famous Psalm of the Bible. In it, David delights in God's provision when all around him are scoundrels and opponents. In 2 Kings 8 we literally see what that looks like for someone who was not with the "in" crowd of ancient Israel.

The scene in 2 Kings 8 is a look back before the famine of the previous chapter.

2 Kings 8:1–2 (ESV) Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, “Arise, and depart with your household, and sojourn wherever you can, for the LORD has called for a famine, and it will come upon the land for seven years.” 2 So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God. She went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.

We remember this woman from 2 Kings 4. She is the woman who cared for Elisha's needs, received the blessing of a son, and then lost him. She then came to beseech Elisha for intervention and he raised him back to life. All of these things happened to her because she cared for God's prophet.

In the Gospels Jesus lays out the principle...
Matthew 10:41 (ESV) The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward.

If you take care of God's servants, God will take care of you. Her life is a fitting illustration of that fact.

The Lord cares for this woman and her son well beyond the resurrection. When the famine comes she is warned and told to go live elsewhere because of the Lord's judgment. It's a picture of God's faithfulness to those who honor Him and His servants. They will receive the benefits of God's providential care in every season. 

She decides to live among the Philistines. These are the ancient enemies of Israel. And yet God will care for her in their presence for 7 years. What does this passage teach us about the Lord? He will make a way! Even where you think there’s no way. What do you need? He can make it happen. For this woman in a foreign land to avoid struggling during a famine, God has a plan.

What is more, God graciously brings her home to the land and restores everything she originally had. Notice how the events take place:

2 Kings 8:4–5 (ESV) Now the king was talking with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, “Tell me all the great things that Elisha has done.” 5 And while he was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to the king for her house and her land. And Gehazi said, “My lord, O king, here is the woman, and here is her son whom Elisha restored to life.”

Of all the moments to return home, this woman returns at the very moment the king of Israel, who has the power to restore her life, is listening to her story. It teaches us about God's timing. He's able not only to keep your life safe from danger, but He's also able to restore your life from despair. He's that good. 

2 Kings 8:6 (ESV) And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed an official for her, saying, “Restore all that was hers, together with all the produce of the fields from the day that she left the land until now.”

There are events and experiences that are completely OUT of our control. Famines and enemies are often unexpected and unchangeable realities. But for those who seek the Lord and do well by His prophets, there is favor and there is peace.