But Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. And the king sent a man ahead of him, but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, “Do you see how this son of a murderer has sent someone to take away my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door. Is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?” And while he was still talking with them, there was the messenger, coming down to him; and then the king said, “Surely this calamity is from the LORD; why should I wait for the LORD any longer?”

Then Elisha said, “Hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the LORD: ‘Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.’ ”

So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, “Look, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?”

And he said, “In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it.” (2 Kings 6:32-7:2)

Doubt can kill you. Elijah had ascended by chariot into heaven, but Ahab was still the king. Due to a siege against Samaria by Ben Hadad, the king of Aram, the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel was nearly out of food. Some had resorted to cannibalism. Ahab blamed Elisha and wanted him dead.

Then Elisha predicted that the famine would end by the next day. One of the king’s officers couldn’t see how, suggesting even God couldn’t do it.

That night, four men with leprosy decided that they’d rather be killed by the Arameans than starve. So they snuck out and found the Aramean camp deserted. God had convinced the Aramean army that they were being attacked by the Hittites and Egyptians—and so they had fled, abandoning their provisions, their tents, their horses and donkeys.

The lepers filled their bellies. They gathered gold and silver and hid it. Then they decided they should return to the city with the news. In the mad rush of desperate people leaving the city for the suddenly available food, the doubting officer was trampled to death. He saw Elisha’s words come true, but was never able to benefit from them.

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