ELISHA'S MINISTRY - WHO IS THE TRAITOR AMONG US AND ANGELIC PROTECTION? 2Kings 6 v 8-23
SERIES – MESSAGES ON ELISHA – HIS LIFE AND MINISTRY Number 17
THE SETTING
2Kings 6 v 8 Now the king of Aram was warring against Israel, and he counselled with his servants saying, “In such and such a place shall be my camp,” 2Kings 6:9 and the man of God sent word to the king of Israel saying, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Arameans are coming down there.” 2Kings 6:10 The king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God had told him (refuge, safe maybe). Thus he warned him, so that he guarded himself there, more than once or twice.
In these days there was frequent conflict between Israel and Aram. Aram was the alternate name for Syria and Aram would be identified today in the national region of Syria and Iraq, not all of those two nations, but parts of. The reason for conflict is made very clear by the bible, even very early in Israel’s history. If God’s people walked according to His laws and goodwill, then Israel would be blessed, but if the people turned to evil to follow the heathen and despicable gods of the heathen, then judgement and correction would fall on them. These gods of Baal and Molech and Astarte and all the asherim, were not merely the inventions of the depraved human mind, but they were the cunning plans of Satan in the destruction of the worship of Jehovah. (this will match some of Romans 1 here).
When Israel turned (returned is better) to the worship of paganism, then God brought enemies in to afflict Israel with the aim of bringing the people back through correction. At this time in history, Aram was the nation to cause grief to Israel. Remember Israel (Samaria, the Northern Kingdom) did not have even one good king; all were pagan and evil.
Aram raided the land but was finding that all their plans were being thwarted. Who was the traitor in the midst? Ben-Hadad wanted the traitor to be exposed; however, the traitor was not among them. God had enabled Elisha to know Benhadad’s every move, and he kept informing Joram of Israel where to go to, to escape the army of Aram. It was God who was helping to protect Israel even though it was sinful with a very wicked king. It was as if God was allowing evil but His prophet Elisha was pivotal, and would bring glory to God in all this.
The account begins with, “Now the king of Aram was warring against Israel,” and this time slot was not very far distant from the healing of Naaman who was very closely linked with the king of Aram. I wonder how he saw the war against Israel, or did he perhaps understand why it was happening? Naaman led the king’s army. The king of Aram at this time was Ben-Hadad and Israel’s king was Joram or Jehoram. Jehoram was the son of wicked Ahab and Jezebel, but he was not as wicked as they were, and actually respected or honoured the prophet Elisha most of the time. Joram succeeded to the throne of Israel when his elder brother Ahaziah had died childless after his short reign of two years. Joram partly abolished the Baal-worship which had become widespread during the reign of his parents, but he showed no desire to return to the true worship of God. He did not do away with the golden calves which Jeroboam had set up in his kingdom. Nor did he do away with other forms of idolatry or with the false prophets.
THE REACTION
2Kings 6 v 11 Now the heart of the king of Aram was enraged over this thing, and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you tell me which of us is for the king of Israel?” 2Kings 6:12 and one of his servants said, “No, my lord, O king, but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” 2Kings 6:13 He said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and take him,” and it was told him, saying, “Behold, he is in Dothan,” 2Kings 6:14 and he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city.
Ben-Hadad was paranoid, suspicious and furious. Who was the traitor? He found out soon enough from one of his servants. Perhaps this servant knew Naaman, and then the connection with Elisha. In any case his rage was turned towards Elisha, and he set out to capture him. He wanted to do it himself, to satisfy his own hate and glory. It was vengeance that sought Elisha, the same way today the wicked of society try to persecute Christians and bring them down. Evil will always pursue the good. There is a constant battle where the forces of evil oppose the sons of light. The forces of evil are more numerous than the children of light in this world, but they are defeated. Our God is way greater. Evil wants to silence the good but will never succeed. It may win skirmishes but the battle of Armageddon lies ahead for all the evil forces of the world, and everyone will be compelled to bow down and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Good will triumph over evil because Jesus triumphed at Calvary.
Ben-Hadad was prepared to use a great army to capture one man. This world thinks there is final power in numbers but it is mistaken. They should study Gideon. In the coming Great Tribulation when the Church is safe in heaven with her Lord, the world leader and Satan will pursue the Jewish saints to exterminate them with great force, but God constantly will protect His chosen people (Revelation 12). The devil’s forces summon all wickedness against God’s elect but we are watched over by the Holy Spirit and a great host of angels. We are not defeatist!
THE PROTECTION
2Kings 6 v 15 Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city, and his servant said to him, “Alas, my master. What shall we do?” 2Kings 6:16 so he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 2Kings 6:17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see,” and the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
The attendant’s name is unknown, this man who replaced Gehazi. He had only very recently become Elisha’s attendant. Now he was in the fray and sight gave way to alarm. He was quaking I think, frightened. Fright marries depression and hopelessness. This poor attendant could not advance past that. Was Elisha concerned? Not in the slightest, for a faith walk of experience taught him that God was always faithful. It is the faithfulness of God that is the key, not the worries and concerns of man. The Lord of Hosts, you remember, is the God who controls all the heavenly forces. Hundreds of millions of angels are at God’s command. We have a wonderful God. Faith anchored in the Lord Jesus Christ will never disappoint.
Verses 16 and 17 are two commanding verses in the whole bible. They need to be wrapped around us, figuratively speaking. Look at 16. so he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
For Elisha it was a physical battle. He was being opposed by the armies of Syria, but for us, it is not physical armies. It is people. It is demonic attack. It comes from foes who don’t even know what they are doing, for they are deluded. We live in the heavenlies but we live in a fallen world. Walk by faith not by sight. See by faith not by sight. Act by faith not by sight. Live by faith not by sight. We are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ. Elisha could see all that but the attendant did not understand, hence the prayer for his attendant so he could perceive the power of God.
Paul sounds out the victory against all our opposition, physical and spiritual in this Roman passage we all know - Romans 8 v 31 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? Rom 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Rom 8:33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. Rom 8:34 Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Rom 8:36 Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long. We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered,” Rom 8:37 but in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us, Rom 8:38 for I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, Rom 8:39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
God’s angels are not just ministering spirits who help us but they also capable of great judgement power with fire - 2Thessalonians 1 v 7 “and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 2Thess 1:8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.”
“and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” There was a film made called “Chariots of Fire” but it had nothing to do with Elisha’s chariots. These ones that surrounded him were for divine protection. These chariots of fire meant God’s power and safeguarding. It was probably the armies of heaven. God cares for His people in ways they don’t even understand. Chariots of fire are mentioned in the final message in this series. Elijah rose to Paradise with chariots of fire, and the term will occur in the last message in this series.
THE POWER OF GOD
2Kings 6 v 18 When they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the LORD and said, “Strike this people with blindness, I pray,” so He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. 2Kings 6:19 Then Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, nor is this the city. Follow me and I will bring you to the man whom you seek,” and he brought them to Samaria.
Elisha had power with God but it was returned power, for he was led of God even in the details of his request. It was no vindictive prayer but it was in God’s leading. God sent blindness and delusion to the enemy which was already blinded and deluded. When God can make an ass speak, and a rock to outflow with water, and the Red Sea to dry up, and Aaron’s rod to form buds, and to set on fire Elijah’s offering, then He can do everything. If these are not enough, then he created the universe out of nothing. What is there now was not there then.
ENEMIES ENTERTAINED
2Kings 6 v 20 It came about when they had come into Samaria, that Elisha said, “O LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see,” so the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw, and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. 2Kings 6:21 Then the king of Israel when he saw them, said to Elisha, “My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?” 2Kings 6:22 and he answered, “You shall not kill them. Would you kill those you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.” 2Kings 6:23 He prepared a great feast for them, and when they had eaten and drunk he sent them away, and they went to their master, and the marauding bands of Arameans did not come again into the land of Israel.
Elisha led the enemy to Samaria. When he prayed, God answered, and the fearful reality of it all, dawned on Aram’s great army. Elisha prayed they be struck with blindness, and at the correct time he prayed for that blindness to depart. Blindness is a terrible thing because it means darkness and darkness means an absence of light, and light in the scriptures means the presence of God. O, Lord, remove the blindness from our children and children’s children. May the blind scales fall from the eyes and like Paul, they be converted. Amen. We live in a difficult world of satanic hatred now for the elect. We deal with deluded and blind people. Where must we lead them? Certainly not to kings and Prime Ministers. Not to church leaders. They need to be led to the feet of Jesus where they can look up and see the risen Christ.
There stood that section of the army before Joram, defenceless and defeated, dejected and demoralised, and no doubt fearful for their lives. The king wanted to kill them all but interestingly, he had a trust in Elisha and was subservient to his decision. The army was spared and treated with hospitality before being sent on its way. At least it stopped the marauders raiding the land, coming from Syria and plundering and killing. Sadly it did not stop Aram as we see in the next message.
What are the New Testament principles we gain from this? There are many:-
(A). Treat your enemy with kindness. I like to avoid enemies, and enemies I see as those who take action against me as in persecution, sidelining, and generally rude and divisive because of being a Christian. Make no mistake about it, people are moved by spiritual forces to oppose you, to dislike you, and to reject you. That is because they reject Jesus Christ. If they despised Him they do the same to you. However in interaction with those who hate you and reject you, the New Testament does lay down instructions, these three being the foremost – Matthew 5 v 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour, and hate your enemy,’ Matt 5:44 but I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. Luke 6 v 27 I say to you who hear, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Luke 6:28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who mistreat you. Romans 12 v 20 but if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink, for in so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.”
(B). Look with spiritual eyes. When the attendant’s eyes were opened then he could see everything in perspective. They are spiritual eyes. When we have God’s perspective on things we then understand where all slots in. Jean said to me when driving her home from bible study, “Those who aren’t Christians must be confused and don’t know what is happening.” There is no superiority here; it’s just that we accept the bible, and the bible outlines the state of man and the future. Encourage your spiritual eyes by studying the word of God, and discerning the signs of the times.
(C). Fix your gaze on the chariots. When the attendant saw the chariots of fire, he was comforted. Previously he was worried and disturbed, frightened and despairing. The difference came with realisation. We must realise that if God is for us, who can be against us! Christians have the greatest possible support, and yet they have the least support. The greatest support comes from the Hosts of heaven being on our side, not really seen with physical eyes, all that under the control of the Lord of Hosts – Jehovah Saboath – we looked at in our bible study. The Holy Spirit is our Helper and Comforter. Regarding the least possible support, Christianity in Australia has no rights. It is openly mocked by comediennes and by the perverted Gay Mardi Gras in Sydney, and by evil people who can sack people from jobs for being Christians.
(D). Be a person of prayerful consideration. Elisha prayed for his attendant that his eyes might be opened. It is not only you going through the battle; it is your fellow Christian. Be it persecution or health matters, or family or just getting older and so many more, we must pray for the good of our fellow Christians. Pray for one another. If it was good enough for James to command that, then it is good enough for us to do it. May the Lord, bless and keep us all. See you next time.
ronaldf@aapt.net.au
