Sermons

When You’re in a Crisis: 2 Kings 6:24-7:2

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Small Group Guide:

Open with prayer.

Go around and give everyone a chance to share about how the past week has been. What’s one highlight? What’s one lowlight?

If your small group has talked about it before, feel free to use this time to hold people accountable to what they’ve asked to be held accountable for previously, and go through the “missional” part of this discussion guide.

Ben-hadad’s Siege of Samaria

24 Afterward Ben-hadad king of Syria mustered his entire army and went up and besieged Samaria. 25 And there was a great famine in Samaria, as they besieged it, until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and the fourth part of a kab[a] of dove’s dung for five shekels of silver. 26 Now as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, “Help, my lord, O king!” 27 And he said, “If the Lord will not help you, how shall I help you? From the threshing floor, or from the winepress?”28 And the king asked her, “What is your trouble?” She answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ 29 So we boiled my son and ate him. And on the next day I said to her, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him.’ But she has hidden her son.” 30 When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes—now he was passing by on the wall—and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth beneath on his body— 31 and he said, “May God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today.”

32 Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. Now the king had dispatched a man from his presence, but before the messenger arrived Elisha said to the elders, “Do you see how this murderer has sent to take off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold the door fast against him. Is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?”33 And while he was still speaking with them, the messenger came down to him and said, “This trouble is from the Lord! Why should I wait for the Lordany longer?”

Elisha Promises Food

7 But Elisha said, “Hear the word of the Lord: thus says the Lord, Tomorrow about this time a seah[b] of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel,[c]and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.” 2 Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned said to the man of God, “If the Lordhimself should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” But he said, “You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it.”

In a crisis our tendency is will often be to

1.Blame others
(2 Kings 6:31, Matt. 7:3-5, Rom. 2:1, Prov. 21:2, Deut. 28:52-53)
2. Not wait on the Lord
(2 Kings 6:33, Ps. 27:14, 37:7-9, 34, 130:5, Is. 8:17, 40:30-31)
3. Doubt God’s word
(2 Kings 7:1-2, John 1:1, 2 Tim. 3:16-17, Matt. 24:35, Heb. 4:12)
4. Doubt God’s ability
(2 Kings 7:2, James 1:6, Matt. 14:31, 21:21, Heb. 11:6)
Instead, we should
1. Listen to God
(John 8:47, 10:27-28, James 1:22)
2. Realize that the crisis is only temporary
(2 Cor. 4:16-18, Rom. 8:18, 28)
3. Trust in God.
(Prov. 3:4-6, Ps. 9:10, 28:7, Rom. 15:3)

Reflection Questions:

    1. Have you ever heard this passage of Scripture or topic taught on before? What stood out to you?

     

    1. Read through 2 Kings 6:24-30. In this passage of God’s Word, Israel is in the midst of a crisis. Even though you probably haven’t been through an extreme crisis like Israel was in during this time, have you ever experienced any type crisis before in your life? If so, what happened? If not, what’s the closest thing to a crisis that you’ve experienced?

     

    1. Looking at your answers from question #2, take a look at the 4 tendencies that we have when we go through a crisis, that we talked about during the message. Which ones do you struggle with the most? Why do you think you struggle with that? 

     

    1. Read 2 Kings 6:31. Here the King of Israel blames Elisha. Take some time to carefully read through Deuteronomy chapter 28. Who should the King have been blaming instead of Elisha? Do you have the same tendency as the King of Israel had, in blaming others when he should have been more reflective? How can you change that? 

     

    1. Read 2 Kings 6:33. Here the messenger blames God for the crisis, and is tired of going to the Lord for help. Have you ever been in a situation where you wanted to do the same? What happened? 

     

     

    1. Read 2 Kings 7:1-2. Here, the captain doesn’t believe the word that God is speaking through Elisha, and doubts God’s abilities. Have you ever been in a situation where that happened? How likely are you to doubt God’s Word and abilities in this season of your life? 

     

    1. What can you do to better listen to, and wait on, God in this season of your life? 
    2. What is your biggest take away about how this passage affects your life? What do you need to work on? Who can you share this with and ask you to keep you accountable to accomplishing this?





     

Prayer Time:

Pray for each other in your small group to be faithful take the step(s) that you shared above. Pray for each other and the interactions that they have with those who don’t know Jesus. Pray that God would soften the people’s hearts to what He has for them. Pray that God would give everyone opportunities to share the Gospel.

Staying Missional:

Share spiritual/missional conversations you’ve had where you live, work, and play:

Who did you have a conversation with that took a spiritual/missional turn this week?
What questions did you ask to discover where God is at work in their life, even if they are not aware?
How were you able to share your story of life change or how you have experienced Jesus?
How can you be intentional this week with people where you live, work, and play to have spiritual/missional conversations if the opportunity arises?
Who in your life do you think could be discipleable or open to spiritual/missional conversations?

What’s next?

Discuss the next step for your small group. When will we gather again and what purpose will it fulfill?