Our story really begins back in II Kings chapter 6. We learn of the siege of Samaria in today’s verse. The context of this passage is a period in the history of national Israel called “The Divided Kingdom.” The kingdom of Israel was in the north with Samaria as its capital.

The kingdom of Judah was in the south with Jerusalem as its capital. This state of affairs left both kingdoms vulnerable to attacks from their enemies. II Kings 6:24 states, Beh-Hadad, the king of Syria gathered all his host and went up and besieged Samaria. What is a “siege?” It is “a military blockade of a city or fortified place to compel it to surrender.” Many people remember the siege of the Alamo in which the Mexican army surrounded the Texas volunteers for 13 long days before putting them all to the sword.

The primary purpose of a siege or blockade is to starve the enemy to the point of surrender. In this respect, Syria or Aram had great success over Israel. Verse 25 says there was a great famine in the land. Almost everything that could be eaten had been eaten by this time. Chapter 7 implies that the only animals left were a few of the king’s horses.

Uh oh… what do you think will happen? Come back tomorrow to see what they would eat. How far would you stoop if you were hungry?