Useful Bible Studies > 2 Kings Commentary > chapter 4
The woman’s actions when she reached Elisha, caused shock to Gehazi, Elisha’s servant. She lowered her body to the ground so that she could hold on to Elisha’s feet. That seemed to mean that she was desperately depending on Elisha to help her. However, God’s people must depend only upon God, and not upon even the most holy people.
So, Gehazi tried to take her away from Elisha by force. Elisha stopped him. Although God had not shown to Elisha the reason for her actions, Elisha understood those actions correctly. The woman came to Elisha not to depend on him, but because she knew about his close relationship with God. In her desperate state, she needed him to pray in a matter where her own prayers were too weak. She was turning for support not to Elisha, but to Elisha’s God. She held his feet because she needed him to pray for her.
In this situation, Elisha had to confess his own weakness. Formerly, a prophet (holy man) was called a Seer (1 Samuel 9:9). In other words, he saw (knew) things that other people could not see. In 2 Kings 6:15-17, Elisha saw God’s great army of angels (special servants of God), which his servant was originally unable to see. However, Elisha was unable to see or to know what the woman’s trouble was. A prophet could only know such things if God showed them to him.
So, the woman had to remind Elisha of the promise that God gave him for her. Now, it seemed as if that promise had failed.
She did not need to explain what had happened. Elisha knew at once that her son was dead.
Next part: The woman needed to depend on God alone (2 Kings 4:29-30)
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