Reading for July 4th

Read 2 Kings 6
In verses 1-23 more wonders of Elisha.
In verses 1-7 this story in which Elisha makes an ax head float, is set near the Jordan River where tress grow because of the abundance of water.
In verses 8-10 Elisha's strategic importance for the the Israelites is invaluable, since he is able to warn them of the impending actions of their enemies, the Arameans (Syrians).
In verse 12 the Aramean officer tell his kings that Elisha knows even the most intimate words spoken by the king in his bedchamber.
Though this certainly an exaggeration, it is quite disconcerting to the king.
In verses 13-14 the story stresses Elisha's importance since he is the reason for an invasion by the Arameans.
In verse 17 this verse vividly illustrates the title "the Lord of Host" (Yahweh sebaoth), since the Lord controls both earthly and heavenly armies (2.11).
In verse 21 father is a term of respect for a superior.
Thus in this story the king was subject to the prophet.
In 6.24-7.20 the siege of Samaria
In 6.24-25 in a siege a city was surrounded and its food supply cut off in order to starve out the inhabits.
Thus, food prices within the city soared.
A shekel was a measure of weight of just less than half an ounce.
A kab was slightly more than a quart.
In verse 27 the threshing floor was a flat, raised area where grain was separated from the hull.
A wine press was where grapes were squeezed for their juice to make wine.
The king is replying that he has no more access to food supplies than does the woman who is asking for his help.
His wish, let the Lord help you, seems sarcastic, in this context, as he likely blames the Lord for the predicate of the city.
In verses 28-28 the woman's complaint is a legal case since the king is, in effect, the supreme court of the land.
The case she brings reflects the desperate straits of the city, where people have restored to cannibalism.
It also recalls, in a distorted way, the case Solomon's judgment in 1 Kings 3.16-28.
In verse 30 sackcloth is a transliteration of the Hebrew saq which refers to some kind some kind of garment worn to symbolize mourning.
In verse 31 it is not clear why the king holds Elisha responsible for siege, but it seems to be a classic case of blaming the messenger for the message.
The Lord has sent the trouble (v.33) and Elisha is the Lord's messenger.
In verse 33 the king may be asking why he should hope in the Lord any longer or what more (punishment) he can can expect from the Lord if he kills Elisha.
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