We have in the text this morning the revealing of the God of Israel - 2 Kings 6:8-23.
Each time the Arameans would make a raid into Israel, their plans were spoiled through the revelation given by God to Elisha.
• Elisha would inform the King of Israel, who would then take precautions against their invasions.
• He was able to foil the Aramean moves repeatedly (6:10 says ‘time and again…’).
• It wasn’t some good guesses or coincidences, but divine intelligence given by God.
This naturally enraged the King of Aram (6:11), who because of the repeated failure to ambush the Israelite army, thought there must be a mole in his own troops.
• Someone in his own force must have been supplying military leaks to Israel.
• He summoned his officers and demanded, "Will you not tell me which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?" (6:11)
There wasn’t. It was this prophet of God in Israel, he was told. We do not know how they found this out.
• Elisha the man of God has been telling your plans to his King. They said, even “the very words you speak in your bedroom.” (6:12) – the words you said in secret.
The King of Aram just got an introduction to the God of Israel here. He is an all-knowing God.
• The prophet of God in Israel has been receiving intelligence from his God.
• The God of Israel knows everything and nothing is hidden from Him.
• Heb 4:13 “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”
God frustrates the plans of Israel’s enemy, no matter where, when or how they tried to raid Israel.
• He kept Israel’s King informed so that he would be always on guard wherever the possible assaults might be. (cf. 6:10)
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The King of Aram knew that if his plans were to succeed, he would have to get rid of Elisha.
• He wouldn’t be able to stop God but he could stop the prophet from telling the truth about what is to happen.
• This meant the prophet now became the object of his attack. His next order was to locate and capture Elisha.
• His men found him at Dothan and the King sent his army to surround the city.
If Elisha has been telling about the enemy’s every move, then he would likely have known of this move too.
• The Lord would have revealed this to him, as in all the previous revelations.
• If God had wanted him to flee from the Arameans, Elisha would have been gone by now. The Lord would have pre-empted him.
• But Elisha stayed and was prepared to confront the enemy WITH God’s presence.
• God has a different plan. God was achieving another purpose.
The King of Aram “sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city.” (6:14)
• Imagine this, he sent horses, chariots and a STRONG FORCE to arrest an unarmed man!
• Elisha was not surprised nor afraid. He already knew that “those who are with him are more than those who are with them.” (cf. 6:16)
• The enemy has a strong force but he has a more superior force. The hills surrounding Dothan were filled with the army of the Lord.
We have an all-knowing God providing superior intelligence and an all-powerful God protecting His prophet with superior power.
• This is the God of Israel that the Arameans are fighting against. He is omniscient and He is omnipotent.
Elisha assured his servant, who could only see the physical and therefore, only the problem.
• 6:16-17 "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." 17AND 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.
• He ASSURED him with the truth (6:16) and PRAYED for him to SEE the truth.
• No optician can do that, only God can. God opened his eyes to help him see spiritual realities.
To have verse 16 alone is enough – that’s the Word of God. But for the ones struggling in faith, we PRAY for God to help them SEE His presence.
• That is Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian believers - Eph 1:18-19 “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and His incomparably great power for us who believe.”
In the Garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus was about to be arrested, Peter wanted to defend Him. He drew a sword and cut off the high priest servant’s ear (Matt 26:51-54).
• Jesus said, “53Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?"
• This was the unseen part. Typically one legion would be 6000 fighting men.
• Jesus had, at his bidding, 72,000 angelic beings waiting to intervene in His defence.
• It didn’t happened because it wasn’t God’s plan. It wasn’t for a lack of resources or a lack of protection.
The servant was fearful because of what he was NOT seeing.
• If he could see what Elisha was seeing, he would be calmer and assured. He would have known of God’s presence.
• What are we NOT SEEING? In a crisis, what are we not seeing?
• Fear comes when we failed to see Him. We pray that God will help us live by faith and not by sight.
The police in New York was once attracted by a car parked by the roadside. Sharpshooters were called in and they surrounded the car. In the back seat of the car was a man with a rifle. The police attempted to negotiate with the man but no answer. The police watched and waited but no movement.
Finally the police discovered the truth: The armed man in the back seat was a mannequin.
When the authorities tracked down the owner of the car, he told them he keeps the mannequin in his car for protection. "You've got to do this," he said. "With rising carjacking, it helps if it looks like you've got a passenger."
Whom do we rely on for protection? A mannequin or the living God, who is all-knowing and all-powerful?
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And then an unusual thing happened. As in Jesus’ case (with 72,000 angelic hosts ready to defend Him but not mobilised), God did not activate His forces here.
• We would expect the horses and chariots of fire surrounding Dothan to rout the enemies and destroy them.
• It didn’t happened. In fact, the enemies came charging down for Elisha (6:18)
• Elisha prayed, “Strike these people with blindness.” (6:18)
We are seeing the unveiling of God’s purpose as the story progresses.
The Aramean troops were given one simple assignment – capture the unarmed prophet – and they failed.
• Elisha’s one-sentence prayer made them blind, and they were led away from Dothan into the city of Samaria (the capital of Israel).
• 6:20 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.
• They saw the man they were looking for – Elisha, right inside his hometown Samaria – as Elisha said he would lead them to.
• They also found themselves helpless captives at the mercy of the King of Israel.
As they might have expected (and many of us too would have expected), this was the end of the road for them.
• But it wasn’t. Elisha told the King he shall not kill them. Instead, prepare food and water for them and then send them back.
• God’s purpose wasn’t to destroy the Arameans. God wanted to protect His people and He has succeeded in doing that, many times.
• And now He protected Elisha and his servant.
The prisoners-of-war were given a feast and then sent home.
• Who would have guessed? Spared by the enemy, right inside the enemy’s territory. It was unheard of. It was not supposed to happen.
• The Arameans would be talking about this, and their troops would testified to it.
• They have just encountered the God of Israel. He is not only all-knowing and all-powerful but He is all gracious. Israel’s God is kind!
What would you do when you are shown such hospitality and kindness, in a war?
• 6:23 “So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel’s territory.” There was peace for a period of time.
• God brought about peace and in the midst of doing it, He revealed Himself to the nations.
Elisha’s ministry always portray the character of God and points people to faith in Israel’s God.
• Through this unusual act, the people encountered the God of Israel.
• The Arameans got to SEE and TASTE (literally) the goodness and the grace of Israel’s God.
An atheist said, "If there is a God, may he prove himself by striking me dead right now." Nothing happened. "You see, there is not God."
Another responded, "You've only proved that He is a gracious God."
Not that He is powerless; He has just shown you grace.
• He did not set out to destroy the Arameans but to introduce Himself and showed them WHO He is.
• He is all-knowing, all-powerful, and yet all-gracious.
• Are you willing to believe Him? That is the underlining message.
