2 Kings 6:24-33

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TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

Horrible Conditions in Samaria During a Syrian Siege

BACKGROUND NOTES

Discuss the conditions during a siege, such as described in this passage.
What sin drove King Jehoram to want to kill Elisha and surrender to the enemy?
God can be blamed for man’s cruelty to man. Right?
List some conditions today that are similar to those described in this portion of Scripture.
Why is it that man shifts the blame when things go wrong?
How can such tragedies be averted?
Why do good people suffer for the actions of bad people?

The invading army would surround the walls of the city and close it off. No one could get in or out; supplies were cut off, and as a result there would be great famine in the city. Prices were beyond imagination for food and fuel.
The sin of cannibalism. See 2 Kings 6:28-29.
Wrong! Man’s cruelty to man is man’s departure from God. If man returned to God and His standards, this cruelty would stop.
Wars and provocations throughout the world, including ethnic cleansing, genocide, forcing people from their homelands, withholding food and supplies from those in need, and the killing of innocent people through acts of terrorism, just to mention a few.
Because he does not want to assume his own responsibility before God.
By listening and responding to God. God said that if the people would follow Him, He would bless them. But if not, they would be disciplined and judged.
When conditions are bad, Christians are not immune, but suffer in the crisis along with others. The rain falls on the just and the unjust.

What is your response to the horrible conditions of the world? Do you sometimes even blame God?
When things go wrong in your life, who do you blame?

Spend more time in prayer that God will intervene in man’s inhumanity to man throughout the world, and that your responsible actions will bring glory to God.
What can you do to alleviate tough conditions in your corner of the world?