V.1 Neither the misery of the people of Israel nor the mercy they received from God, turned their heart to God! So Elisha tells this woman that the Lord has called for a famine! The Lord often speaks to us through the circumstances He allows in our life, even when, it wasn’t our own actions that brought them on. The believer who understands that it is the Lord speaking is not disturbed by them.
V.4 You will remember the man who lied to Elisha about Naaman (2 Kings 5:20-27). Now we find him sitting, talking with the unbelieving king. He is talking of the “great things” Elisha had done. Nothing about the Lord.
V.5-6 The woman has her lands restored to her.
V.7-15 When this king was in prosperity, he had sent an army to capture Elisha (2 Kings 6:14), but now in his illness he sends Elisha a present! The world, when it faces a calamity, sometimes calls on God, but only for selfish reasons.
V.10 Elisha walked closely to the Lord, and therefore knew His mind. Though the king could have recovered, he was going to die by another means.
V.11-12 Elisha is obviously affected by the thoughts of what was ahead for his beloved people, not by what was going to happen to the king of Syria.
V.13 The man Hazael does not know his own heart.
V.14-15 The murderer takes the throne!
V.16-29 The sad story of many people.