2 Kings 6:28-29

We continue our look at Samaria being besieged by the Syrian army. Yesterday, we ended with the thoughts that the besieged life is one of endless longing for fulfillment in those things that do not fill. This life leads naturally to the destruction of one’s personal self and family relations; and the loss of possessions, health, or life. Those who are besieged will sacrifice everything they have, just to consume upon the hungers of their flesh. Today we see even more of this truth.

“And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and we will eat my son to morrow. So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son.” (2 Kings 6:28-29)

Feeling the desperation of their besieged life, these two women had conspired to eat their very own children. As heinous as this is, this dark act is further compounded by the deception of the mother who ate her friend’s son and then hid her own son. Apparently, her greed trumped her friend’s need, and she was saving her son for herself. Family, health, and life (no matter how innocent) mean absolutely nothing to those living under siege.

Another mark of the besieged life is that those under siege seek help and deliverance from those who cannot help them. Many counselors and therapists claim to offer deliverance, but they only substitute one addiction for another, so that there’s no hope of peace. The woman in our story cried out the king for help, who very honestly, confessed his inability to offer any relief: “And he said, If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee?” (verse 27a). In the end, kings and counselors and therapists are only able to give a false hope.

Still a further aggravation of the situation is that this mother actually felt wronged by her friend because she had hid her son. The heart of the depraved is so desperately wicked that there is no remorse for the death of her son, only that she herself would be hungry yet another day. On top of that, this desperate mother sought the king’s judgment against her deceitful friend! Oh, how our minds are so clouded and blinded to our sinful condition!

We need to understand that siege conditions result from our rejecting God’s leadership. The Israelites had started by rejecting God’s leadership when the Northern Kingdom split from the Southern Kingdom at the death of Solomon. They then turned to worship idols by erecting golden calves in Samaria. Yet God sent prophets to call the people back to Him. Still, they refused to return. Now, their sins had brought them into bondage. It is obvious that the things that lead us to a life under siege are the very things we seek pleasure in.

“Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.” (2 Kings 7:1-2)

Sadly, when we are living under siege, any word of hope is met with doubt in the Power of God to deliver. With the armies of the adversary surrounding us, the protective walls of our city become a death trap. Our focus is on our own inability and the insufficiency of our provisions. Our view of God is diminished by the enclosing walls of death. How bad does the siege have to get before we turn and trust the only One who can help us?