Benhadad II Siege of Samaria and Deliverance

Benhadad II besieged Samaria. The first Benhadad was a contemporary of Asa (1 Kings 15:18—20). Benhadad II is the same king whom Ahab had twice defeated, and to whom he had shown such unseasonable lenity that he had received a prophetic rebuke (1 Kings 20:1—42). This attack on Samaria was not a minor border raid but serious war of the utmost intensity. Benhadad probably took advantage of a time when Shalmaneser was not engaged in active campaigns in the Mediterranean area. It was a time of famine which were not uncommon in Israel. At the time of Elijah there was a drought that lasted for three and a half years (1 Kings 17:1 to 8:1 Luke 4:25 James 5:17), and in the days of Elisha there was a famine for seven years (2 Kings 8:1). The present famine, however, was the result of the siege.

When things became extreme inside the city, King Joram blamed Elisha for the situation. Elisha had called upon the people to repent and doubtless had made it clear to them that if they did not put away their sins and turn to the Lord with all their hearts, they might expect trouble and distress. The king was bitter against the prophet and now sought to place the blame on him for the continuance of the siege and famine. In doing so he followed the same course as had his brother Ahaziah, and his father Ahab. A man who was truly penitent would have worn sackcloth openly rather than in secret, and he would not have turned upon God's prophet. Beheading was not an ordinary form of punishment among the Jews, but was common in Assyria and other neighboring nations. With his heart filled with bitterness and wrath, Joram now threatened Elisha with this horrible form of capital punishment.

Joram sought to take the life of Elisha, and sent a man with orders to behead the prophet. But before his arrival, the Lord forewarned Elisha of the king's intentions, so that the matter could be clearly set before the leaders of the land. Ahab, the father of Joram, was guilty not only of the blood of Naboth but also of the prophets who were slain by Jezebel with his full consent. Even his faithful servant Obadiah feared that he would be put to death by Ahab when told to go to him with a message concerning Elijah (1 Kings 18:9).

Joram, the son of a murderer, possessed the same evil traits as his father. The executioner was already on his way, but Elisha showed no concern. He was a prophet of the Lord and knew that his life was in the hands of God and not at the mercy of evil men. Following close upon the heels of the would—be executioner came the king, to see whether or not his orders had been carried out. Elisha is spared and declares that in one day everything will be turned around, which is what happened. Samaria was freed.