The whole of it needs to be read at a sitting, so as to perceive its connections, its unity, and its wonders. In it we are shown how the wrath of man was made to praise the Lord, how the oath of a wicked king was made to recoil on his own head, how the skepticism of his courtier was given the lie and how the confidence of Elisha in his Master s word was vindicated. In it we behold how the wicked was taken in his own craftiness, or to use the language of Samson s parable, how the eater was made to yield meat, and how poor outcast lepers became the heralds of good news.
Truth is indeed stranger than fiction.
Were one to invent a story after the order of the incident narrated in our present portion, critical readers would scorn it as being too farfetched. In this case, Samaria was besieged by a powerful enemy, so that its inhabitants were completely surrounded. The situation became drastic and desperate, for there was a famine so acute that cannibalism was resorted to. Yet under these extreme circumstances Elisha announced that within twenty-four hours there would be an abundance of food for everyone. His message was received with incredulity and scorn, yet it came to pass just as he had said, without a penny being spent, a gift being made, or a blow being struck.