A major advisor to the king of Israel, a man who should be an exemplar to all, denies that God acts in the world. At the same time the nation is rescued by a group of society s outcasts. It is the contrast between these two sets of characters that shape the message of our story. This week s Haftarah does not include the beginning of the story. The city of Samaria, capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, is under siege by the army of the king of Aram.
Starvation is rampant.
Both the king and the people are in panic. The prophet Elisha delivers a message of hope before the king that God will end the famine the next day. We encounter two contrasting responses to the plight of the city. The first, from one of the king s key advisors, is one of ridicule. He hears the message of the prophet and mocks him by denying God s ability to end the famine.