WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
JUNE 15, 2026
TOPIC: BE A RESPONSIBLE AND RESPONSIVE LEADER
BY T. O. BANSO
“Then the king said to her, ‘What is troubling you?’ And she answered, ‘This woman said to me, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ So we boiled my son, and ate him. And I said to her on the next day, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him’; but she has hidden her son’” (2 Kings 6:28-29 New King James Version).
Responsible leaders are accountable to God and the people for the spiritual and physical well-being of those they lead. They are servants of the people, not masters. Responsive leaders empathise with their people and address their problems. Leadership is a sacred trust or stewardship, and leaders must seek service rather than status. Responsible and responsive leaders will not neglect, exploit, or abuse their subjects.
In 2 Kings 6, when Ben-Hadad, king of Syria, gathered his entire army and went up to besiege Samaria, a great famine struck Samaria. It was so severe that 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 (verses 24-25). That must have been very expensive.
The situation was so bad that two women were involved in cannibalism. They agreed to kill and eat their sons. They had eaten the son of one of them. We probably would not have known about this crime if one of them had not reneged on the agreement to hand over her son to be the next killed and eaten. They were fighting over this matter when an unnamed king of Israel was passing by on the wall, and one of the women cried out to him for help.
Some Bible commentaries state that the king was Jehoram (or Joram) of Israel (2 Kings 3:1). King Jehoram, already overwhelmed by the crisis in the land, responded to the woman’s cry for help. Obviously, out of frustration, he told her, “If the LORD does not help you, where can I find help for you?” He asked if she thought he could find help from the threshing floor or from the winepress. Every human leader has limitations. Jehoram expressed his powerlessness to help the woman.
Nevertheless, he asked her what was troubling her. “Then the king said to her, ‘What is troubling you?’ And she answered, ‘This woman said to me, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ So we boiled my son, and ate him. And I said to her on the next day, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him’; but she has hidden her son’” (2 Kings 6:28-29 New King James Version).
Jehoram was distressed to learn about the severity of the siege. While 2 Kings 6:24–33 focuses on the severe consequences of Israel’s disobedience to God, the siege narrative also provides a vital lesson for leaders today. Leaders are often disconnected from those they lead, remaining out of touch with the reality of their people’s condition. They might know the economy is struggling or that unemployment is rising, but they remain ignorant of how deeply these hardships affect everyday citizens.
Wise leaders devise means of getting factual, first-hand information from the people. They do not sit in their offices relying solely on reports from their officials, which are often far from reality.
We see this in the biblical narrative when King Jehoram walked along the city wall. It was there, upon encountering a desperate mother pleading for justice, that he realised just how dire the famine in Samaria was. This king ultimately received unfiltered, first-hand feedback. When leaders rely on watered-down reports, citizens suffer. Today’s leaders must ensure they are connected to the true realities of their people, rather than relying on sycophancy or distorted facts.
2 Kings 6:30-31 says, “Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he tore his clothes; and as he passed by on the wall, the people looked, and there underneath he had sackcloth on his body. Then he said, ‘God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today!’” (New King James Version). Note the reaction of the king, who was already mourning, wearing sackcloth under his robes. He was angry because of his people’s plight.
The Bible does not explicitly say why he threatened to kill the prophet Elisha, but commentators suggest a few reasons. He likely transferred his anger onto Elisha for failing to prevent the famine. Because Elisha was a man of God with the power to end it—just as Elijah had done in the past—the king was frustrated that Elisha withheld this power while his people suffered untold hardship.
Although he responded well by seeking an end to the unbearable condition of his people, he was wrong to threaten Elisha. Instead of repenting of his sins and humbling himself before God, he chose to scapegoat Elisha.
King Jehoram’s threat to kill Elisha was unjustifiable, but some leaders today do not respond to the people’s suffering and are only interested in maintaining their positions. We see non-performing political leaders who neglect their citizens’ welfare and focus only on their re-election, even when their nations are collapsing under their watch.
They don’t feel it’s wrong that their people are dying of hunger, disease, and violence. They don’t face reality and become angry at the negative situation. Therefore, they do nothing—or not enough—to change those circumstances. They don’t know what true leadership is. Rome burnt while Nero fiddled.
2 Kings 6:32 says, “Elisha was sitting in his house with the elders of Israel when the king sent a messenger to summon him. But before the messenger arrived, Elisha said to the elders, ‘A murderer has sent a man to cut off my head. When he arrives, shut the door and keep him out. We will soon hear his master’s steps following him’” (New Living Translation).
While Elisha was still talking, the messenger arrived. Some translations also state that the king arrived and said, “Surely this calamity is from the LORD; why should I wait for the LORD any longer?” (2 Kings 6:33b New King James Version). However, some translations attribute the words to the king’s messenger who spoke on his behalf. That was a sinful statement. He blamed the LORD for Israel’s calamity, and that is probably why he threatened to kill Elisha as the LORD’s representative. The king had forgotten that the LORD warned the Israelites long before then that if they disobeyed His Word, one of the consequences would be famine.
As detailed in Leviticus 26:29 and Deuteronomy 28:53-57, the LORD warned that disobedience would lead to dire consequences, including enemy siege, famine, and cannibalism. The women in 2 Kings 6 engaged in this horrific practice, which prompted the king’s actions.
It must have sounded unbelievable when the LORD originally said this. However, it did happen—not only in the case of these women, but also some time later in the history of the Israelites. Ezekiel 5:10 says concerning Jerusalem, “Therefore fathers shall eat their sons in your midst, and sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments among you, and all of you who remain I will scatter to all the winds” (New King James Version).
Lamentations 2:20a seems to capture the practice of cannibalism as the people of Jerusalem suffered for their rebellion against God: “See, O LORD, and consider! To whom have You done this? Should the women eat their offspring, the children they have cuddled?” (Lamentations 2:20a New King James Version). Consequently, severe famine and the resulting cannibalism were consequences of the people’s rebellion against the LORD.
Let’s go back to the story of King Jehoram and Elisha. After the king had blamed the LORD for Israel’s calamity, Elisha prophesied an end to the famine, not because the king had threatened to kill him, but because God had mercy and revealed His word to him. “Then Elisha said, ‘Hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord: ‘Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria’” (2 Kings 7:1 New King James Version).
Today, organisations and nations need responsible and responsive leaders, who will not only act, but do what is right – not leaders who are inactive while their people suffer, but leaders who will take steps. Although Jehoram responded to his people’s suffering, his utterances and actions are condemnable. Leaders must not only act, but must take the correct actions.
Unfortunately, Jehoram’s personal attendant disbelieved what Elisha said. He said the prophecy could not happen even if the LORD opened the windows of heaven. He went too far! Did he think the LORD was like his helpless master, the king? Elisha gave him an appropriate reply. He told him that he would see it with his own eyes, but he would not eat of it (2 Kings 7:2).
It happened exactly as Elisha said. The famine ended the next day. The Syrians fled. The siege was lifted. There was a miraculous, abundant supply of food. However, the people trampled the king’s unbelieving personal attendant at the gate, and he died. The king had put him in charge of the gate.
Leaders must demonstrate responsible and responsive leadership, especially during national emergencies. May the Lord give organisations, institutions, and nations leaders who will really serve the people, improve the welfare of their citizens, and respond to their needs. May that be you, no matter what level of leadership you hold. Moreover, may you not doubt the Word of the Lord as the king’s personal attendant did.
Be a responsible and responsive leader.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you must give your heart to Jesus now. Please take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself, and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your heart. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching, and Bible-practising church. There, they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner, and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me, and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I invite Jesus into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You must join a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching, and Bible-practising church where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Father, cause responsible and responsive leaders to emerge in the nations of the earth; make room for them at all levels. I will be a responsible and responsive leader. I will not doubt or disbelieve the Word of God, but will believe and experience its fulfilment, in Jesus’ name.
(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
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