Verse 16 says “Don’t be afraid for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.”
Turn to your neighbor and say neighbor God wants to bless us. Isn’t that good new today.
For the essence of time please allow me to get right into the text.
At the time of this text there is a serious contention between the nation of Israel and the nation of Syria.
According to the text, the Syrian king had a desire to make war with the nation of Israel.
The bible is unclear as to why the Syrian King wants to fight against Israel, but the truth of the matter is, our haters never need a reason to hate.
The enemy decided to fight with the nation of Israel.
The enemy decided that he was going to allow his troops the Syrian army to go up against the nation of Israel.
Now when you look at these two armies and when you look at these two nations, or the tale of the tape if you will, the nation of Israel on paper could be no match for the Syrians. There was really no comparison against the army of Syria. In fact, when you do the research, you will discover that the Syrian army was considered, to be the most modern military of that day.
The Syrians had the latest weaponry; the Syrians had the ability to reach in other areas and gather entails on their enemies. They would gather entails and come back to the war room and map out a successful strategy against their enemy.
The Syrian military was a multifaceted military depending on the size of the opposition they were going up against. They could be as small as a raiding party, and as large as a 100,000-member, forcefully equipped with horses and chariots.
However, they were going up against the Israel army which really wasn’t a military outfit at all, but rather a militia (mil-lis-uh), a body of citizens enrolled for military service.
Their army consisted of a group of civilians who would just show up on the battlefield. The Israel army, they had no formal training no military strategist on staff, these men had no advance arsenal at their disposal, no ground transportation and no reconnaissance team.
They were not multifaceted all they were, were farmers and not fighters, they were praisers, and not rebels, they had no former training, and no prior military background
So, if we were to critique them, on paper we have this mighty Syrian army who is going up against this militia (mil-lis-uh) group; these civilians that would just show up on the battlefield. So, it’s so baffling that when you read this text, how Israel was like low hung fruit, just ripe for the picking.
But the nation of Syria could not defeat them; they could not beat them; and they could not overthrow them. In fact, the bible says that every time the Syrians army tried to make an advance against them Israel would always be one step ahead them.
Every time the nation of Syrian tried to defeat the nation of Israel, in some kind of way, Israel would always be able to escape. Because when you look at the Bible the bible lets us know that it is tailored to teach us that the one thing the nation of Israel had going for them was that the Lord was on their side.
I think that I need to stick a pin in right here and mention to you again this week that and if the Lord is on your side, then the balance of power always shifts. I said when God is on your side. You plus God always automatically becomes the majority. In other words, you always have the advantage when God is on your side
In fact, that’s a great place for us to stop and give God praise, because that’s somebody testimony right there. Because you know that the Lord is fighting all of your battles.
Because every time the odds were stacks against you; every time you thought you were going to be defeated; every time the enemy had you right in his grasp. The good news is God always kept you one step ahead of the adversary.
And this brings us to our text; in verse 11, the king of Syria is frustrated because he couldn’t get his hands-on Israel. He’s frustrated because the Israel army always seem to stay one step ahead of him. And the reason that the Israel army stays one step ahead of him was because they were receiving divine intervention, they had someone that were interceding, someone in that was in mediation, someone that was in contact with the Master.
The king of Israel was connected to somebody that knew God. Watch what happens. Every time the King of Syria would lie down at night and have a dream and come up with a strategy, God would intercept those thoughts and God would transmit those thoughts to Elisha, and Elisha would tell the King of Israel.
Every time the king of Syria tried to attack the nation of Israel God always allowed the King of Israel to be one step ahead of the Syrian Army. I thought about that thing and I began to praise God because that’s just like God.
Because whenever God decides that you are going to be blessed, whenever God decides that he’s going to bless you; and whenever God decides that He’s going to favor you it shall be done. That means whomever and whatever God has to work through to accomplish that desire, God is going to do it.
Whenever God decides you are going to be above and not beneath, the lender and not the borrower. Whenever God decides that you are going to be successful; whatever God has to work through; orchestrate, change, contort, twist, and adjust, whatever God has to do to get the job done God is going to do it.
Just wave at your neighbor and say neighbor God wants us blessed.
Watch this, when you read this story that the King of Syria learned that Elisha is the corporate; He learns that Elisha is the one that has been leaking information to the King of Israel about his plans, and the moment he discovers that Elisha is the corporate, instantly his anger is converted from the King of Israel to the Prophet of God. And notice this that people will turn on you when they know that God is helping
you.
The Bible says that a b.o.l.o is put out on Elisha, which means (be on look-out); a A.P.B. an all points bulletin, all forces are now aimed at Elisha.
Investigation reveal that Elisha is dwelling at Dothan; and all of a sudden, Elisha is surrounded by the adversary. In verse 15 Elisha receives information that the King of Syria has surrounded his city. All of a sudden, now on paper it looks like Elisha has run out of options.
It looks as if Elisha’s back is against the wall. However, when you read this text, nowhere in the text does it suggest that Elisha is afraid. Nowhere in the text does it suggest that Elisha is worried about the enemy. Nowhere in the text does it suggest that he had any sleepless nights; walked the floors; cried any unnecessary tears. Because the one thing that Elisha knew before the enemy showed up was that the Lord was on his side, and that God would bless him.
And that’s where I want to mention to somebody today that you must know without a shadow of doubt that no matter what circumstance you find yourself in you must know and believe that God is on your side, and he wants to bless you. In fact, Hell could be across the street, enemies could be threatening, supervisors could be threatening to lay you off. But baby you’ve got to know that he’s on your side and he want to bless you. And because Elisha knew God, he was not afraid.
In fact, when I looked at this text a couple of things impressed me about Elisha. The first thing was: His confidence in God’s Sovereign Presence. Elisha knew that the enemy was present, but he also knew that God was present, and Elisha does not allow the confirmation of
the enemy’s plan to shake his confidence in God’s sovereign presence.
In other words, he says I’m not going to allow my confirmation to wreck my confidence.
I know that the enemy is there I got confirmation that they are surrounding me.
I have confirmation that he desires to kill me.
I have confirmation that things look bad.
However, my confirmation is not going to shake my confidence.
When you are connected to God, you’ve got to know that, who you are connected to ought to be greater than that what you are confronted with.
My question is can you praise God in the midst of what you are going through? I feel like preaching on this lot. And I wish I had about 150 people who can give God some crazy praise. Because the one thing that you know that you know, that you show nuff know, is that the battle is not your, but the battle belongs to the Lord.
The second thing that impressed me about this text was His Concern for His Servants’ Perception of things. Because the problem here is that Elisha seen victory, but his servant couldn’t see what Elisha saw.
When you look at this text Elisha has a concern of who he is connected to:
He is connected to somebody who can’t see like he sees.
He is concerned because he has a servant, that is not connected as he is.
He is concerned because he’s hooked up to somebody who doesn’t look at life like he looks at life.
He is concerned because he has a servant who’s spiritually blind.
Well brothers and sisters this is a problem for Elisha because this is Elisha’s servant.
And if this is his servant, that means that this boy spent time with Elisha. If this is his servant, that means that this boy had a relationship with Elisha. If this is his servant, that means that this boy hung around with Elisha, and that tells me that this boy was in the vicinity of the prophet, but he did not have the vision of the prophet.
Because just being around me, don’t mean that you can see what I see. And this is a problem for Elisha, because he’s hooked up with somebody that has no vision. And the worse mistake you can make is to partner with somebody who does not see the vision.
This boy has no vision; and Elisha can see something that the boy can’t see. And that’s a problem, because if there is ever going to be victory the volunteers and the visionary both have to see the vision. I’m in verse 17 He says Lord please I pray open his eyes, that he may see.
In other words, Lord let him see what I see; Lord I can’t open his eyes, Lord you’ve got to do it.
I need someone on this lot to declare right now, I need someone to pray, Lord open MY eyes; open my eyes; open our eyes and let us see.
Because baby if you could ever see what God has for you, it will shape your demeanor. It would shape your thought and it would shape your life, someone scream Lord open my eyes.
And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open up his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
And verse 18 said, and when they (the enemy that is) came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And (the Lord) smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
All I’m trying to tell you is that the Lord will help you when the enemy has surrounded you.
The Lord will keep you when you. When the enemy has built a fenced around you. The Lord will keep you when you have been encircled, bound, hemmed in, sealed off, and contained by the enemy, the Lord will bless you. But you have to open your eyes, and allow God to bless you. Is there anybody here that want the Lord to open-up your eyes?
