The following are discussion questions from a weekly study I am leading through the book of 2 Kings.  We meet each Wednesday evening at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

The Unraveling of a Nation

A Study of the Book of 2 Kings

Lesson 7 (The Cost of Doubt)
 2 Kings 7
         February 12, 2014

The Text:

1. What was taking place in Samaria?  Who was the king blaming for this?  What message did Elisha share from God?  How did the king’s officer respond to the message?  What did Elisha say would happen to the officer?  
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2. What dilemma did a group of men at the city gate of Samaria find themselves in?  What did they propose to do in an attempt to solve it?  What was their reasoning?  What did they find when they went to the camp of the Arameans?
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3. What had the Lord caused the Arameans to hear?  What did they conclude?  What did they do?  What did they leave behind?  What did the group of men from Samaria initially do when they discovered the Arameans were gone?   
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4. What did the men with leprosy finally conclude?  What did they report back to the gatekeepers in Samaria?  How did the king respond to the news?  What did one of his officers suggest they do?  What did he anticipate the outcome would be?
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5. What did the scouting party discover when they went to the Aramean camp?  What did the people of Samaria do when they heard the news?  What responsibility did the king give to the officer who was with him earlier?  What happened to him?  Why?

  The Application:

1. Are there things that you don’t have enough of?  Who do you blame?  How would you respond if God said he would meet that need with an abundance that seems impossible? 
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2. Are there times in your life when it seems hopeless to stay where you are and hopeless to go where you think you should?  Does desperation motivate you to take risks?
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3. What would cause you to abandon the things that you value?  Have you ever found something of great value that seems to be free for the taking?  How likely are you to take it?         
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4. How likely are you to share good fortune that comes your way?  What does it take for you to think of the needs of others?  Are you skeptical when it comes to hearing things that sound too good to be true?           
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5. What have you discovered about the availability of God’s free gift to meet any “famine” in your life?  Who have you told?  How eager were you to obtain it?  What is the cost of doubt?

Next Week:  Good News and Bad
2 Kings 8