Skip to content From Famine to Feast: Trusting God's Impossible Provision Nov 2 · 13 min ...more
From Famine to Feast: Trusting God's Impossible Provision
November 2, 2026 · 13 min
Hear Elisha's word fulfilled: God turns desperation into plenty. Let us choose faith, not fear, and trust God's miraculous deliverance.
Series Stand on the Word - Video On Demand
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November 2, 2026 · 13 min · Stand on the Word - Video On Demand
Hear Elisha's word fulfilled: God turns desperation into plenty. Let us choose faith, not fear, and trust God's miraculous deliverance. ...more Show the full description Show less Hear Elisha's word fulfilled: God turns desperation into plenty. Let us choose faith, not fear, and trust God's miraculous deliverance.
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In this video 0:00 God Delivers Samaria from Siege6:40 Faith in God's Provision10:20 Elisha Warns of Famine and Hazael's Rise11:38 Jehoram's Evil Reign in Judah
God Delivers Samaria from Siege 0:10 Good morning. Welcome to Stand on the Word. Happy Monday. Today, we look at second Kings chapter seven and eight verse eighteen of chapter eight. And he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel just as the house of Ahab0:21 had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife, and he did evil in the sight of the Lord. This account here in chapter seven begins in the last nine verses of chapter six with0:33 Ben Hadad, king of Syria, laying siege to Samaria. So just a a point of clarification, from chapter six in verse twenty three where it reads, so the bands of0:45 Syrian raiders came no more into the land of Israel. Two points on that. One, there is a break between verses twenty three and twenty four, break in time. But, there should0:57 also, there's also an understanding from the biblical scholars that the reference of not coming into Israel, was to capture Elisha, which1:08 was the reason for the incursion in chapter six. Right. So the siege results in a famine that's so severe that mothers are actually eating their own children.1:20 While the king is not named here, the timeline would suggest or say that this is Jehoram, son of Ahab, who blames Elisha and says that he will have his head as he1:32 prepares to surrender to Syria. Elisha then gives this word from the Lord. Verse one. Then Elisha said, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord, tomorrow about this1:44 time, a sea of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two sea is a barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria. So an officer, on whose hand the king leaned,1:56
2:07 but you shall not eat of it. This does not appear to be within the realm of possibilities, that food would be that abundant within twenty four hours as they were
2:19 starving at the moment. But God is the God of the impossible. Verse three. Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate, and they said to one another, why are
2:31 we sitting here until we die? So look. We can go over to the Syrian camp. Maybe they'll kill us. Maybe they won't. Maybe we'll get some food. We're gonna die if we stay here. So verse five, and they arose
2:43 at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians. And when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise, no one was there. For the Lord had caused the army of the Syrians to hear the
2:55 noise of chariots and the noise of horses, the noise of a great army, so that they said to one another, look, the king of Israel has hired against us the king of the Hittites and the king of the
3:07 Egyptians to attack us. Therefore, they arose and fled at twilight and left the camp intact, their tents, their horses, their donkeys, and they fled for their lives. And when these lepers came
3:19 to the outskirts of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank and carried from it silver and gold and clothing and went and hid them. Then they came back and entered another tent and carried some of... From
3:30 there also and went and hid it. So the lepers start... The lepers started thinking about what they were doing that they decided they needed to tell others and not keep this to themselves. So they
3:42 go and they deliver the news. Two observations, a few observations here. God brought about a supernatural victory by routing the Syrian army, putting inexplicable
3:54 fear in their hearts, causing them to run wild. Then God used society's outcast to discover the victory and to deliver the good
4:06 news. Now don't miss what I just said. God often uses society's outcast to deliver the good news. Think about the gospel. As followers of Jesus
4:17 Christ, we are to be a particular people, peculiar people, different. We're in the world, but not of the world. And continuing this analogy, the lord's salvation and the riches of
4:29 heaven that come with it are meant to be shared, not hoarded or kept secret. We're to tell others about the riches
4:41 of the kingdom of God. Now look at the king's response when the lepers bring the news. Verse twelve. So the king arose in the night and said to his servants, let me now tell you what the Syrians
4:53 have done to us. They know that we are hungry. Therefore, they have gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field saying, when they come out of the city, we will catch them alive and
5:05 get into the city. Now, also, remember his response when he received the letter from the king of Syria on behalf of Naaman. Back in chapter five, he tore his clothes and said, it's a trap.
5:17 This is what happens when you are driven by the fear of man rather than being guided by faith in god. Chapter, seven verse sixteen. Then the people went out, and
5:29 they plundered the tents of the Syrians. So a seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel according to the word of the lord. Just like... Just as
5:41 Elisha had said. This is how it happened. Their backs were against the wall. No way out. Death was all around them. And the next thing they knew, the crisis was over. You know, maybe somebody needs to hear that today.
5:53 Don't give up. Just when you think it is totally hopeless, look for God to show up. Not everybody was able to enjoy this abundance. You have to believe you have
6:05 to believe that he is God and that he is able. Look at verse nineteen. Then the officer the officer that had said the man of... To the man of God and said, now look.
6:17 If the lord would have made if lord would make windows in heaven, could such a thing be? And he had said, in fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not
6:28 eat of it. And so what happened for the people trampled him in the gate, and he died. You see, the officer died. Alright. Chapter eighteen. Some scholars, do
Faith in God's Provision
6:40 not see the events here as being, and the chapters in chronological order. Could be. It's uncertain. We're reintroduced here to the woman from chapter
6:52 four. Alright? Verse one. Then Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life saying, arise and go, you and your household, and stay wherever you can, for the Lord has called for a famine. And furthermore,
7:04 it will come upon the land for seven years. Now this was not the same famine that had occurred there at Samaria because of the siege. So the woman arose and did according to the saying of the man of God, and she went
7:16 with her household and dwelt in the land of the Philistines seven years. So famine's over. She returns, and her house and her land, had been taken. So she appeals for help,
7:27 and the king restores it to her. Now in the narrative, we see Elisha's servant, Gehazi Gazi, who was in, chapter five when he became a leper.
7:41 One in... One of two explanations here. Again, these events may not be in chronological order, or his, form of leprosy did not require
7:52 total isolation. Verse seven. Then Elisha went to Damascus, and Ben Hadad king of Syria was sick. And it was told him saying, the man of god has come here. And the king said to Hazael,
8:04 take a present in your hand and go to meet the man of God and inquire of the Lord by him saying, shall I recover from this disease? So Hazael went to meet him and took a present with him and
8:16 every good thing of Damascus, forty camel loads. And he came and stood before him and said, your son Ben Hadad king of Syria has sent me to you saying, shall I recover from this disease?
8:28 Now in this... Isn't this interesting? It wasn't that long ago that Ben Hadad sought to capture Elisha in Samaria. Now Elisha is going to Damascus. Time and circumstances change
8:40 us in the world around us. Elisha's healing of Naaman changed how the king of Syria saw Elisha. In fact, when bin bin Hedayat heard that he was in town, he called for him. The conflict with
8:51 Israel continued. Alright? But Elisha's ministry and mission was bigger than the borders of a country. Now this is not to say that Elisha did not care about his people. We see this
9:03 in this, passage that he did, but he did not allow his personal grievances or this parochial care to hinder his mission and mission his
9:15 mission, and ministry from God. Verse twelve. And Hazael said, why is my lord weeping? He said, because I know the evil that you will do to the children of Israel, their strongholds
9:27 you will set on fire and their young men you will kill with the sword and you will dash their children and rip open their women with child. So what Elisha sees here is what
9:39 transpires the next day or in the days following. Hazael returns, tells Ben Hadad, you will be, restored, but then the next day, he kills Ben Hadad
9:51 and takes over Syria. Alright. Back to, to Israel, verse sixteen of chapter eight. Now in the fifth year of Joram, the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Jehoshaphat
10:03 having been king in Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat began to reign as king of Judah. Verse eighteen, and he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done
10:15 for the daughter of Ahab was his wife, and he did evil in the sight of the Lord. So Jehoram began to reign. He co reigned with his father, Jehoshaphat, for two
Elisha Warns of Famine and Hazael's Rise
10:26 years. Now Jehoshaphat was, either directly or indirectly responsible for planting the seeds of, Joram's destruction, either his friendly relationships with Ahab,
10:38 king of the northern tribes, or a direct alliance through a treaty of marriage brought about this marriage to Ahab's daughter. And, you know, as we read in the New Testament, do not be unequally
10:50 yoked. What fellowship has light with darkness? Rarely does immorality yield to morality. Sin, short of an encounter with the savior, does not
11:02 surrender to righteousness, and we see that in the history of the kingdoms here. Alright. Tomorrow's election day. I do hope and pray that you are prepared. We are going to
11:14 pray. So let's pray for our election and pray for our nation.
11:18 Hello. This is pastor Carlos Duran, president of the National Hispanic Pastors Alliance. And today, we are praying for our nation as elections are coming over the next few days. I encourage
11:30 you to pray for our nation, to pray your values, our Judeo Christian values, and to pray for our elected officials. So father, we come before your presence today, and we lift
Jehoram's Evil Reign in Judah
11:42 up before you the United States of America, a nation under god. So lord, we ask you, lord, that you choose the candidates that you have elected to be our leaders, father god,
11:54 and men and women that will perpetuate, that will extend your glory on our nation, father. So, lord, we bless the United States. We bless our elected officials, and we ask you, Lord, that your will will be
12:05 done in the United States of America. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
12:10 Alright. I wanna thank you for joining me today and, continue to pray. Important election tomorrow and do make those plans to vote. If you've not yet downloaded your personalized voter guide, text vote to
12:22 six seven seven four two. That's vote to six seven seven four two, and I will send you a link. Alright. Until next time, keep standing on the word.
12:32 Today's study comes from the stand on the word Bible reading plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you
12:44 can read through the entire Bible in just two years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.
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