Passage: 2 Kings 4:42-44

The Big Idea

It isn’t presumption to trust the Lord; it honors Him. During famine, a man came from far away with twenty barley loaves, and Elisha said to give them to a hundred men. His servant scoffed, “Shall I set this before a hundred men?” But Elisha repeated God’s word: “They will eat and have some left over,” and they did. God often prepares our provision far in advance, through people we don’t expect. This miracle foreshadows Jesus feeding the multitudes, and teaches that God will supply all we need for every good work as we ask persistently and step forward in faith.

Trusting God Honors Him

It isn’t presumption to trust the Lord. It honors Him!

The enemy often whispers that simply trusting God’s power and goodness is ridiculous, weak, shameful, naive, presumptuous or immature.
It doesn’t make sense to the world.
But Scripture simply says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).

People who trust the Lord sometimes get mocked.

A Gift from Far Away (4:42)

A man came from Baal Shalishah, bringing the man of God bread from the firstfruits: twenty loaves of barley bread and fresh grain in his sack.

There was still famine in the land. But God always provides for His people.
Elisha had been praying for God to provide. He had faith God would answer, according to His character and His Word.
Baal Shalishah was some distance away, and its very name honored Baal. Not an obvious place to look for God’s provision!
You don’t know where God’s provision will come from.
God is always working behind the scenes.
He’s often arranging your provision weeks ahead and miles away.
So why don’t we see it more often?
- Because we tend to arrange our lives so we don’t really have to depend on God answering prayer. We rely on ourselves or on whatever we can see.
- Do we give generously, or hold everything back for a rainy day? That’s a faith issue.
- Do we make time for God’s people, or are we too busy? That’s a faith issue.
- Do we minimize risk in every area, so we’re never forced to call on God? Because that would be scary…
Elisha lived by faith. He was willing to wait for God to answer his call for help.
Are you willing to live that way? How do we get there?
We take small steps. We do what God’s Word says, day by day, step by step.

This unnamed man was moved by God to answer Elisha’s prayers.

His act of surrender and obedience was how God answered prayer!
That’s often where our surrender leads: blessing for others.
And the longer we resist, the more people miss out.
God asks us to give, not because He’s poor (He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, Psalm 50:10) or wants to take our stuff, but because He wants to use you in His kingdom. It’s an invitation!
You never know how your gift or obedience will affect someone’s life and faith.
This unnamed man got to feed a hundred people.

“Give It to the People” (4:42)

Elisha said, “Give it to the people, so they may eat.”

Elisha had prayed for God to provide.
He saw this man arrive and recognized the gift as from God.
He prayed in faith, so now he could act in faith.
Faith without works is dead (James 2:26).
His faithful action? He gave the bread to the people.
Why was that faith?
- He put others first and trusted the Lord.
- It wasn’t enough, but he gave what God had supplied, trusting God to supply all that was needed.
God knows the need and has promised to meet it. He doesn’t worry about where the resources will come from; He owns everything. What God cares about most is whether we trust Him, count on Him and depend on Him.

The Scoffer (4:43)

His servant said, “What? Shall I set this before a hundred men?”

Here’s the doubting servant again (likely Gehazi).
He seems never to have truly believed in God’s power or His love.
He’s missing the essential ingredient for ministry: faith.
His unbelief spills out as he scoffs at his master’s faith.
He doesn’t know God’s ways. He can’t imagine how a little bread could feed so many, because he won’t trust God’s power and goodness.
In Nazareth, Jesus did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief (Matthew 13:58).
He may also have been hungry and wanted his share first, letting others wait.
But ministry is about serving, not being served.
The doubting servant shows us how to fail in ministry:
- Be concerned with yourself.
- Doubt God’s power and love.

A Word from the Lord (4:43-44)

Elisha said again, “Give it to the people, so they may eat, for this is what the Lord says: ‘They will eat and have some left over.'”

Elisha’s faith was challenged. What did he do? He kept trusting the Lord.
He’d trusted God’s character all along. Now he had a specific word from the Lord, a promise.
And instead of keeping it to himself, he shared it to encourage everyone else to trust God too!
Here’s the risk of following Jesus.
We hesitate to tell people we’re simply trusting the Lord, because they might think we’re crazy or naive.
But God gives promises to hold onto. As you read the Word and pray, He’ll speak to you, for yourself or for someone else.
Will you trust Him? Will you believe Him?

How do I know I’m hearing from God? How did Elisha know?

He knew the Lord. He had a relationship with Him. He could tell when something fit God’s character.
The way I know what my wife would or wouldn’t like.
I can know the Lord too! I develop a relationship with God through His Word: knowing what Jesus did for me, and living by His words.

Do you know God’s Word? Do you know what Jesus did for you? Do you let His written Word guide your path?

John says, By this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. Whoever says, “I know Him,” but doesn’t keep His commandments isn’t living in the truth. But whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God is truly perfected. By this we know that we are in Him (1 John 2:3-5).

If you know Jesus is truly your Lord, you can have confidence in hearing His voice. The truth is in you.
If you know you haven’t fully surrendered to Jesus, you’ll always wonder whether you’re hearing Him.
Sometimes that doubt is actually a symptom pointing to an area not yet surrendered to His Word and lordship.

Elisha had great confidence that he heard God’s voice, because he was fully surrendered to God. And he had great confidence that God heard his!

So he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the Lord.

Faith Grows Through Testing

Elisha’s faith was met with God’s supply!

He trusted God to meet their needs. His faith was tested by the famine.
God sent the man with bread. Then his faith was tested again by his doubting servant.
Our faith keeps going through trials so it can grow. Every time we decide to trust God, it gets tested, and on it goes.

Jesus said, “Take heed how you hear. Whoever has, more will be given to him” (Luke 8:18).

When you trust God, He opens new doors for you to trust Him even more.

Jesus Feeds the Multitude

Does this remind you of anything? The feeding of the five thousand, the only miracle (other than the resurrection) recorded in all four Gospels!

Look at the similarities:

A crowd of hungry people.
A man of God who cared for them.
A few loaves, barley loaves in both cases (John 6:9).
The command to give the food to the people, not sell it. That’s grace!
Someone raised a doubting objection (John 6:7-9).
The servants distributed the food.
There were leftovers.

The lesson: God will supply what you need for every good work. Ask Him for it, and step forward in faith to receive it!

God is able to make all grace abound toward you, so that, always having all sufficiency in all things, you may have an abundance for every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8).

Ask with Persistence

Jesus told of a man who went to a friend at midnight: “Friend, lend me three loaves. A friend of mine has arrived from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him.” The friend answered from inside, “Don’t bother me. The door’s locked, and my kids are in bed.” But Jesus said that even if he won’t get up because of friendship, because of his persistence he’ll get up and give him as much as he needs. So Jesus says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened. For everyone who asks receives” (Luke 11:5-10).

This parable shows that when we’re concerned for the needs of others, God will answer our prayers! Good works are about meeting others’ needs.
Our job is to be persistent and believing, and to recognize we can’t meet those needs ourselves.
Elisha knew this. He expected God to answer. Confidence. Trust. Faith. Dependence.

Grace Takeaway

It isn’t presumption to trust the Lord; it honors Him. You may be holding twenty loaves in front of a hundred hungry people, and the scoffers may laugh. But the God who multiplied the bread for Elisha and for Jesus hasn’t changed. Are you concerned for the needs of others? Then ask, keep asking and give what He’s put in your hands. He’ll supply enough, with some left over. What are you depending on?

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Elisha’s Ninth Miracle: The Sufficient Loaves