2 Kings 4–7
Is seven really the perfect number? Elisha’s miracles in 2 Kings 4–7 spark a friendly debate.
Let’s talk about it.
KEY TOPICS & THEOLOGICAL DISCUSSIONS
• 2 Kings 4:1-7: was the widow’s oil limited by her faith, or simply by how many jars existed?
• Why scolding the widow for gathering “too few jars” reads condemnation into the text
• 2 Kings 4:27 and Deuteronomy 29:29: what God hides even from His prophets
• Abraham and Isaac as a possible (and admittedly speculative) parallel to the Shunammite’s test
• Gehazi, Elisha’s staff, and why the first attempt to raise the boy failed
• Elijah fed by ravens, Elisha feeding a hundred men: God’s provision in famine
• Gideon’s question in Judges 6 and why abundant miracles never revived the Northern Kingdom
• Naaman’s Israelite servant girl, Stockholm syndrome, and compassion toward a captor
• Biblical numerology: intentional detail or circular reasoning about “the perfect number”?
• The seven days of creation as the one clear textual anchor for the number seven
• Naaman’s two mules’ load of earth and his request in the house of Rimmon (2 Kings 5:17-19)
• Worshipers of Yahweh outside Israel and the questions it raises for believers in public service
• The king of Aram’s suspected spy and the Deuteronomy 18 test of a true prophet
• Is it ever right to ask God to strike an enemy? Mercy, justice, and the blinded Arameans
• Love your neighbor vs. national defense: personal ethics and the sword of the state
• The royal officer of 2 Kings 7:2, “windows in heaven,” and the sound of chariots in 7:6
• 2 Kings 7:6, Joshua 8, and whether misleading an enemy army in war is the same as lying
A visual representation of the important, and often confusing, time-period of the kings of Israel and Judah.
This period of time stretches from the construction of the Temple to its destruction. Also included are the approximate ministry spans of the writing prophets.
Follow the line of the kings and prophets in the divided kingdom with this easy to read chart. Great to hang in an office or place for reference. Or, use it a quick reference while studying. Printed on thick, durable, matte paper.
• Paper thickness: 10.3 mil
• Paper weight: 5.57 oz/y² (189 g/m²)
• Giclée printing quality
• Opacity: 94%
• ISO brightness: 104%