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Lessons
For The 21st Century From OT Saints And Sinners
The Servant Who Saw The Invisible
2 Kings 6:8-20
Introduction: Seeing God Come Out Of Nowhere
The Carosoyn is a delightful fairy tale told by the
nineteenth century author George MacDonald. It makes for fine
end-of-the-summer reading. In the story, a young boy by the
name of Colin must rescue a young girl whom the fairies have
captured and reduced to their tiny size. He sets out to find
help from an old woman he had once met while lost in the woods.
Searching for hours without finding her, he realizes he is
once again lost. Suddenly, before his eyes is the old woman’s
house. MacDonald then teaches a wise lesson through the boy’s
words, “It seems the way to find some things is to lose yourself.”
It
is at those times in our Christian walk when we are lost in
fear, worry or grief that God appears out of nowhere. In our
most desperate hour, God reveals Himself. We see Him and His
glory in a new and comforting way. As the dictionary says,
God’s action at that time is an
extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human
affairs. It is a miracle.
This
kind of extraordinary event occurred long ago to the prophet
Elisha and his servant when they were surrounded by a large
enemy army. Death crept so close that they could feel its
icy breath. Elisha remained calm, even as his servant shivered
in fear. The man of God could see what his servant couldn’t—and
that made all the difference.
Some Historical Background
As
we have seen in previous studies, Elisha’s homeland shook
from the rumblings of a prolonged civil war. Just as the United
States did during the American Civil War, the Israelite nation
split into north and south—each side having a capital and
a king. Israel, the northern state, had nineteen kings parade
across its two-hundred-year stage of history. All nineteen
kings worshiped other gods, rebelling against the Lord.
Amazingly,
God still loved His people, so He anointed prophets like Elijah,
Jonah, Amos and Elisha through whom He communicated. Men of
iron-willed determination, they were empowered by God to influence
Israel in extraordinary ways. But, being a prophet in those
days was dangerous business. As Elisha well knew, it had its
risks. One such risk came early one morning when his servant
woke up to the sound of enemy chariots surrounding them.
The Main Plot
Who
had sent the army to surround Elisha’s city? Why would anyone
do this? What will Elisha do? Let’s look at 2 Kings 6 to find
the answers.
The Characters
Our
story’s cast of characters begins with Ben-Hadad, the king of Syria (v. 24). He is Israel’s
arch enemy as he targets King Jehoram, the king of Israel. Caught in the
middle of this conflict is Elisha, the man of God. As in many of the other
accounts we have seen, there are two unnamed servants
who also play important roles. One serves the king
of Syria and the other stands at the side of Elisha.
The Situation
Much
like having a disagreeable neighbor, Syria has been testing
Israel along their shared border—much as they have over the
past 50 years. Ben-Hadad has strategically mapped out his
border incursions by moving secretly from place to place.
Each time he does so, however, King Jehoram reinforces those
new areas before the enemy army arrives. Ben-Hadad is enraged
that his opponent is able to anticipate each and every move.
There has to be some way that he is receiving information—a
spy!
Ben-Hadad
is understandably angry. One thwarted surprise attack is understandable
and two is coincidence. But how could anyone anticipate attacks
three, four and five? There has to be leak. Listen to the
angry, frustrated king.
This
enraged the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded
of them, "Will you not tell me which of us is on the
side of the king of Israel?" 2 Kings
6:11 NIV
It
is here we meet the unnamed servant of the king.
"None
of us, my lord the king," said one of his officers, "but
Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel
the very words you speak in your bedroom."
2 Kings 6:12 NIV
How
did this servant know about Elisha? Could he have been associated
in some way with Naaman who had gone to Elisha to be healed
of leprosy? Did this servant believe in the Lord, too, as
a result of what he had seen? These and other questions wait
until heaven to be answered. We do know he had remarkable
insight about Elisha’s direct hot line to God—the God who
sees all and hears all, even secret strategies whispered in
the king’s private chambers.
Ben-Hadad
decides he needs to capture this prophet-spy.
"Go,
find out where he is," the king ordered, "so I can
send men and capture him." The report came back: "He
is in Dothan." Then he sent horses and chariots and a
strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the
city.
2 Kings 6:13-14 NIV
The Reaction
The
next morning Elisha’s servant gets up and goes out early to
prepare for the day. He isn’t prepared for what he sees. The
landscape has changed overnight. Gleaming shields and swords
reflect the morning sun. The rows of chariots, horses and
archers surround the city. He runs to Elisha to ask,
“Oh,
my lord, what shall we do?”
2 Kings
6:15b NIV
Good
question; GREAT question. His reaction springs from his limited
vision. He sees the number of soldiers with their frightening
arsenal of weapons and he panics because it’s obvious they
are trapped. Actually, under the circumstances, that seems
like a reasonable thing to do.
Elisha,
however, remains calm.
"Don't
be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are
with us are more than those who are with them."
2 Kings 6:16 NIV
The
servant is counting and not making it past the number two.
Still, Elisha remains cool and confident. Does Elisha know
about some secret escape tunnel? Does he have some kind of
ingenious defense plan?
Elisha’s
secret is that he sees something that no one else sees—the
invisible. That’s why he is able to tell his servant that
those who are with them are greater than those opposed to
them. The servant can see those who are with them, but who
are those “with us?” Elisha sees the spiritual forces of God
and knows they can overpower the forces of darkness that are
with the Syrians. His poor servant is still puzzled—and very
much afraid. Elisha intercedes for his servant.
And
Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see."
Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and
saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around
Elisha. 2 Kings 6:17 NIV
Dothan
is surrounded by mighty angelic forces. There is a special
detachment of fiery chariots sent to guard Elisha. Where all
he saw before was empty air, the servant now sees mighty soldiers
of heaven ready to defend and protect them.
If
only we could see God’s armies, too. It would make a difference
it we could see God’s overwhelming power ready to help. Here’s
the point: we don’t
necessarily need to see in order to know. Donald
Barnhouse wrote,
Ordinarily
the human eye cannot see the spiritual forces that are arrayed
in the spiritual realm. The eye of faith can look into the
Word of God and know the truth of the power of the Lord we
serve, and can be sure that nothing can ever touch us unless
it has passed through the will of God. We can be sure that
though there may be wisdom on the other side, omniscience
is on our side alone. We may be sure that though we find an
enemy to be potent, we can that our God alone is omnipotent.
Donald
Gray Barnhouse, The Invisible War, p. 134
The Result
I
think Elisha’s servant stands there for a few moments awestruck
by what he sees—the glorious power of God’s angelic army.
Then, Elisha prays again.
As
the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the LORD,
"Strike these people with blindness." So he struck
them with blindness, as Elisha had asked.
2 Kings 6:18 NIV
Everything
is ready now for the rest of the plan to unfold.
Elisha
told them, "This is not the road and this is not the
city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you are looking
for." And he led them to Samaria. After they entered
the city, Elisha said, "LORD, open the eyes of these
men so they can see." Then the LORD opened their eyes
and they looked, and there they were, inside Samaria.
2 Kings 6:19-20 NIV
The
gates slam shut, their eyes are opened and now they are the
ones surrounded. God has a terrific sense of irony!
That
day the Lord taught Israel and Syria an unforgettable lesson:
Nations may have intimidating
armies and kings may have grandiose plans and give orders,
but God is the One Who is in control!
As
Elisha told his servant, “We have no reason to fear!”
Years
earlier King David also expressed this same kind of fearless
faith in the sovereignty and power of God.
I
sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from
all my fears.
Those
who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never
covered with shame.
This
poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
he saved him out of all
his troubles.
The
angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them. Psalm 34:4-7 NIV
Psalm
91 is another tremendous testimony celebrating God’s faithful
protection.
Commanding
His forces to fight the enemy on our behalf, God performs
countless miracles everyday as He guards us against visible
and invisible dangers. God’s protecting power is truly amazing!
Lessons From The Story
From
this remarkable story several flags of confidence can be planted
in our hearts to help us face fearful situations.
1st Lesson: Intimidating Odds
And Obstacles Mean Nothing To The Righteous
Overcoming
the obstacles we encounter may seem like trying to light a
match in a windstorm. We need to stop focusing on the odds
and the obstacles and start remembering that He who is with
us is greater than the one who is with them.
2nd Lesson: Those On The Lord’s
Side Are Never Outnumbered
Those
who resist the truth may appear to be in the majority, but
that is never really the case—not when you take the unseen
forces of heaven into account.
3rd Lesson: When God Wins, It’s
Always A Landslide Victory
God
never squeaks by to win the close one. There are no close
ones. He never wins in the final minute with a desperate “Hail
Mary” heave down the center of the field. His victory is sure
and never leaves any doubt that He is in control.
Conclusion: What About Today?
All
this is nice for the times in which the people of the Bible
lived. But, we wonder, what about today? Do things like this
still happen? Listen to this account I have kept in my Bible
since 1991 from a missionary who shared the following testimony
with members of his church while on home assignment.
While
serving a small field hospital in Africa, I traveled by bicycle
through the jungle to a nearby city every two weeks for supplies.
This was a journey of two days which required camping overnight
one night at the halfway point.
On
one of those journeys, I arrived in the city to collect money
from a bank and to purchase medicine and supplies before beginning
my two-day journey back to the field hospital. Upon arrival
in the city, I observed two men fighting. One man had been
seriously injured. So, I treated him for his injuries, while
at the same time witnessing to him about the Lord Jesus Christ.
I then traveled two days, camping overnight, and arrived home
without incident.
Two
weeks later I repeated my journey. Upon arrival in the city,
I was approached by the young man I had treated two weeks
earlier. He told me he had known that I carried money and
drugs, He said, “Some friends of mine and I followed you into
the jungle, knowing you would camp overnight. We were waiting
just outside of your campsite for you to go to sleep. We were
then going to kill you and take your money and drugs, But,
just as we were about to move into your campsite, we observed
and counted 26 armed guards standing around you.”
At
this I laughed and said I was certainly all alone out in that
jungle campsite. The young man pressed the point and said,
“No, sir. I was not the only one to see the guards. My five
friends also saw them and we all counted them. It was because
of those guards that we were afraid and left you alone.”
At
this point in the church presentation in Michigan, one of
the men jumped to his feet and interrupted. He asked me, “Sir,
can you tell me the exact day this incident happened?” It
took me a moment to recall, but I could. When I informed the
congregation of the date of the incident, the man who had
interrupted told me this story.
“When
it is night in Africa, it is day here. On the night of your
incident in Africa, it was morning here, and I was preparing
to play golf. As I was putting my bag in the car, I felt the
Lord leading me to pray for you. In fact, the urging of the
Lord was so strong that I called several of the men of this
church together to meet with me here in the sanctuary and
pray for you. Would all of those men who met with me on that
day please stand up.”
The
men who got together to pray that day stood. When all were
counted, the number was 26.
“Those
who are with us,” Elisha
said, “are more than those who are with them.” Since that it
true, barriers can be broken and lives can be changed. Since
that is true, wrongs can be righted and evil governments can
fall. Since that is true, fears can be calmed and prayers
will return answered.
Since
that is true, miracles can happen. They can happen—even today!
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