And it happened after this that Ben-Hadad king of Syria gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria. And there was a great famine in Samaria, and indeed they besieged it until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and one-fourth of a kab of dove droppings for five shekels of silver. 2 Kings 6:24-25
By Hildegard Schneider
When we study the history of Israel, we see how YHWH loved to bless His people. He gave them the foundation for blessings through his servant Moses:
“And it will come to pass if you obey the voice of YHWH your Elohim carefully, that you take care to do all His commandments which I command you today, then YHWH your Elohim will set you as supreme over all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings will come upon you and will reach you if you obey the voice of YHWH your Elohim.” Deuteronomy 28:1-2
“But it will come about if you do not obey the voice of YHWH your Elohim so that you do not take care to do all his commandments and his ordinances that I command you today, then all these curses will come upon you and reach you.” Deuteronomy 28:15
Curses here simply mean that YHWH pulls His hand away from protection over His rebellious people. Now HaSatan is allowed to move into that vacated space and attack the people. The further the people move away from their Elohim, the larger and stronger the enemy’s sphere of influence becomes.
The people of Israel walked in these two cycles. If their king and the people listened to YHWH’s teachings, they were richly blessed and victorious over their enemies. If they departed from YHWH’s teachings, then the judgment that YHWH had told them would happen came to pass. YHWH warned His people over and over again through His prophets, to repent and to keep His instructions.
In the case of disobedience, there was also always an announcement of the increase in the punishment. In Deuteronomy chapter 3, YHWH speaks three times that the penalty for disobedience would be increased sevenfold:
“And if you do not thereby rebuke me and oppose me, then I, in turn, will oppose you, and I in turn will strike you, and that sevenfold because of your sins.” Deuteronomy 26:23-24
YHWH announces specifically what that punishment would be:
“Your sons and your daughters will be given to another people, and your eyes will see them and will pine for them all day long, but you will be powerless. The fruit of your field, and all that you have earned shall be consumed by a people whom you know not, and you shall but be oppressed and broken all your days.” Deuteronomy 28:32-33
“YHWH will take you and your king, whom you will set over you, away to a nation you have not known, you and your fathers. And you will serve other gods there, gods of wood and stone”. Deuteronomy 28:64
It also happened that in 722 BC the northern kingdom of Israel fell under Assyrian rule and many Israelites were deported to Assyria. In the year 586 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem. Most of the Jewish population is carried off to captivity in Babylon.
In 333 bc, Alexander the Great defeated the Persians at the Battle of Issos. He moved to Egypt and occupied Judea as well. Judea became part of the Greek-Egyptian empire.
In 163- 63 bc, Judah is ruled by the kings of the Maccabean dynasty. Then, in 63 ad, Rome conquered the province of Judah.
“And Ben-hadad king of Aram gathered together all his forces, and there were thirty-two kings with him, and horse and chariot. And he went up and besieged Samaria, and fought against the city, and sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel to the city, saying, Thus saith Ben-hadad, Thy silver and thy gold are mine, and thy wives and thy best sons are mine also.” 1 Kings 20:13
We can learn from the example of Israel’s history and see the disastrous consequences of their disobedience. We can also see today where a nation is in obedience to YHWH, or how far it has strayed from Him.
If we do not know the ways of Elohim and do not live in them, we are quite legitimately opening doors for HaSatan. Sin separates us from Elohim. Mankind as a whole has given the enemy the right to attack them. When we sin, YHWH’s hand withdraws from us and the enemy is permitted to come in and attack.
When YHWH’s hand withdraws, a space comes between him and us or a nation, which gives the enemy room to attack.
The further a nation moves away from YHWH, the greater HaSatan’s sphere of influence becomes. The stronger the powers of darkness rule over a nation, then more we see this: good is called evil and evil is called good.
The fact that the dark evil powers increase more and more and openly penetrate into all spheres of influence shows that mankind has totally turned away from the teachings of YHWH. Evil is maturing.
“Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so also now many antichrists have appeared; therefore we recognize that it is the last hour.” 1 John 2:18
How much more so, is the last hour now dawning than when Paul wrote this, and the stage is being set very specifically for the Anti-Messiah. We are now living in a dramatically new and far more dangerous time. It will be the worst hour in the history of mankind.
Here is one example from among the many anti-government events:
The World Government Summit, the largest event of its kind to bring nations together, will take place on March 29-30, 2023 in Dubai. The theme is: “Shaping Future Governments.” The Summit will bring together thought leaders, global experts, and decision-makers from around the world to exchange ideas and contribute to the development of tools, strategies, and models essential to shaping future governments.“ So much for the slick marketing from their website.
The more accurate wording would have been: “For shaping the future one-world government“. Some of the members of the World Government Summit include the World Health Organization, World Trade Organization, United Nations, World Bank Group, ZOOM, Amazon, CNBS, Euronews, CNN, Unicef, and the World Economic Forum.
They circulated the following thought:
The world is on the brink of destruction and needs to be cleansed by people who belong to a different vibration. They operate with the slogan “There is no planet B”.
There is to be a free Internet for all, which can be merged into the new world system. The plan is as follows:
The current Internet will be shut down soon and will not be booted up in its current form.
After a short time of the complete shutdown (note: also praised as “reset” by the WEF), a new Internet will be started up again worldwide.
This is then the infrastructure of the Antichrist.
It runs through the Quantum computer and the people will connect to it directly. Only the people who belong to the new caste (Homo Novus, which means “new man“) will have access to it.
Whoever was not ready to be changed by the new “injectables” – will not be able to participate in this system.
That means then: neither to buy nor to purchase, neither to communicate nor to receive info… etc. = the total exclusion from social and financial life.
Those who fulfill the access requirements are part of the system and now the “Brain Interface”, that is, direct brain-to-computer communication via neurons of the genetically modified human being takes effect …
Famines show that gluttony and selfishness are at work: half of all grain stores are in China. Russia is now also building grain stores. This begs the question: where will the West get grain from? Both countries, China and Russia, are in deep conflict with the West. In addition, fertilizers have become five times more expensive.
The famines that are now occurring more and more indicate in the natural what is going on spiritually. The word of YHWH is less and less studied or embraced throughout the nations. Not only is there a natural famine, but there is also a spiritual famine in the land!
Behold, the days come, says the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it. Amos 8:11-12
Famines also existed historically in Israel and they were a form of YHWH’s judgment:
“After this, it came to pass that Ben-hadad king of Aram gathered all his army, and he went up and besieged Samaria. And there was a great famine in Samaria. And they besieged the city until a donkey’s head was worth eighty pieces of silver and a handful of dove droppings was worth five pieces of silver.” 2 Kings 6:24-25
They ate the heads of donkeys out of hunger, and since the doves (an image for the Ruach HaKodesh) had flown away, all that was left was the dung of doves, which was dearly paid for and eaten.
The famine became more and more severe:
“And as the king of Israel was walking on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, Help me, my lord and king! And he said, If YHWH helps you not, how shall I help you? From the threshing floor or from the winepress? And the king said to her, What is the matter with you? And she said, This woman said to me, Give your son, that we may eat him today; tomorrow we wil eat my son. So we boiled my son and ate him. And I said to her the next day, Give your son, and let us eat him. But she hid her son. When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his clothes as he walked on the wall.”
2 Kings 6:26-30
In the continuing text, the king says, ” And while he was still talking with them, there was the messenger, coming down to him; and then the King said, “Surely this calamity is from the LORD; why should I wait for the LORD any longer?” 2 Kings 6:33
After all, it was clear to the king that the whole situation had to do with being in rebellion against YHWH. But even this view of the Creator and Judge has been lost by mankind. They cannot make the connection between world events and Elohim. So many have lost the discernment between evil and good.
In the final chapter of the closing verses of the Old Testament, Malachi speaks to us about discernment. These are important verses to ponder, as there was a 400 years of silence between the closing out of the Old Testament and the writings in the New Testament:
Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another,
And the LORD listened and heard them;
So a book of remembrance was written before Him
For those who fear the LORD
And who meditate on His name.
“They shall be Mine,” says the LORD of hosts,
“On the day that I make them My jewels.
And I will spare them
As a man spares his own son who serves him.”
Then you shall again discern
Between the righteous and the wicked,
Between one who serves God
And one who does not serve Him. Malachi 3: 16-18
May our precious Messiah Yeshua find us, His lost and scattered jewels, and may He spare us! May discernment be restored in us, His people! May we learn again to discern between what is righteous and what is wicked and between those who serve God… and those who do not.
Prayer Targets
Abba, dear Father, thank you for providing for us in the coming times of famine:
Pray into Philippian 4:19: And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Yeshua HaMashiach.
Thank you, Abba, dear Father, that we need not fear:
Pray into Isaiah 41:10: Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
Thank you, Abba, dear Father, for helping us through these trials and tribulations with the indwelling power of your Ruach HaKodesh, that we may distribute among our fellow brethren, the living bread.
Pray into John 6:51: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
Abba, we ask that you would restore a spirit of discernment in your people! May we be able to tell the difference between good and evil and align ourselves with good!
Pray into Malachi 3:16-18:
Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another,
And the LORD listened and heard them;
So a book of remembrance was written before Him
For those who fear the LORD
And who meditate on His name.
“They shall be Mine,” says the LORD of hosts,
“On the day that I make them My jewels.
And I will spare them
As a man spares his own son who serves him.”
Then you shall again discern
Between the righteous and the wicked,
Between one who serves God
And one who does not serve Him.