Preserving Power For God?s People
Text: Ps.34: 7; I John 4: 4b; II Kings 6: 15-16
Intro: The biblical accounts of God?s miracles performed through Elijah and Elisha are some of the most extraordinary and exciting found in the pages of God?s Word. The account under consideration today, Elisha and the Syrian army, is no exception. Throughout this account, one theme comes through loud and clear: God is able to preserve His people by His power.
In First and Second Kings, God sought to prove to Israel His willingness to preserve and protect them. There was however one significant requirement: They must turn from their idolatry and serve Jehovah God alone. But as was so often true of the nation of Israel, they ignored God?s message. And though judgment loomed precariously in their future, God, in love and mercy, continued to try to draw Israel to Himself.
There are two wonderful lessons to be learned in this passage being considered today. In addition to the lesson of God?s ability to preserve and protect His people, mentioned above, there is also the lesson of learning to see our circumstances through the eyes of the Spirit, not the eyes of the flesh. Elisha had learned both lessons, and as a result, saw God do great things.
It?s my prayer today that we will learn to view all of life from God?s point of view, while at the same time wholly depending upon God?s preserving power.
Theme: God?s preserving power became evident through:
I. A DREADED ENEMY
A. The Intended Trap By Israel?s Enemy.
II Kings 6: 8 ?Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp.?
NOTE: [1] Wouldn?t it be wonderful if we had no enemies in life? One man once commented on that.
A reporter was interviewing an old man on his 100th birthday. ?What are you most proud of?? he asked.
?Well,? said the man, ?I don?t have an enemy in the world.?
?What a beautiful thought! How inspirational!? said the reporter.
?Yep,? added the centenarian, ?outlived every last one of them.?
Source Unknown.
Syria was determined that Israel wouldn?t outlive them. They were using every tactic they could to destroy them.
[2] According to II Kings 5: 5-6, Syria and Israel were already at war. One part of Syria?s war strategy was to set ambushes or traps for Israel?s army, hoping to catch them by surprise. The words ??shall be my camp? actually carry the idea of ?we shall set an ambush? (Charles F. Pfeiffer and Everett F. Harrison, Editors, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; pg. 346).
B. The Intended Trap By Syria Exposed.
1. God told Elisha about the enemy?s secret.
II Kings 6: 9 ?And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down.
10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once or twice.?
NOTE: [1] In verse 9, the context basically renders the words ?come down? as ?concealed? (Ibid, pg. 346). In other words, a trap or ambush had been set.
[2] The strategy of the Syrian army spoken of here is also typical of the devil. The Bible says, ?Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:? (I Pet.5: 8). He likes nothing better than catching the child of God off guard and vulnerable. That?s as good a reason as any for paying attention to what the preacher gives you from God?s Word. He may give you ammunition with which to fight the enemy, or that which will make you aware of the devil?s ambush. The king of Israel was wise enough to listen to God?s prophet, and was delivered from disaster numerous times. The Apostle Paul said, ??For we are not ignorant of his devices,? and neither should we (II Cor.2: 11).
[3] Cotton Mather once said, ?That there is a devil is a thing doubted by none but such as are under the influence of the Devil? (Cotton Mather). Stay on your guard.
2. The Syrian king feared that he had a traitorous soldier.
II Kings 6: 11 ?Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?
12 And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.?
NOTE: Again, the action of God in making known to Israel the activity of the Syrian army is a good illustration of what God does with His present-day children. God?s Word says:
I Cor.10: 12 ?Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.?
II. A DIVINE ENLIGHTENMENT
A. Elisha?s Location Is Discovered By Syrian Spies.
II Kings 6: 13 ?And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.?
B. The City Of Dothan Is Surrounded.
II Kings 6: 14 ?Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.?
NOTE: [1] You may sometimes feel like the devil has you surrounded. But dear brothers and sisters don?t give in to fear, because God is on our side.
Ps.56: 9 ?When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.?
[2] Don?t give in to fear, because we have victory over Satan through Jesus Christ.
I Cor.15: 57 ?But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.?
Let me illustrate this fact this way:
Theologians tell a story to illustrate how Christ?s triumph presently benefits our lives:
Imagine a city under siege. The enemy that surrounds the city will not let anyone or anything leave. Supplies are running low, and the citizens are fearful. But in the dark of the night, a spy sneaks through the enemy lines. He has rushed to the city to tell the people that in another place the main enemy force has been defeated; the leaders have already surrendered. The people do not need to be afraid. It is only a matter of time until the besieging troops receive the news and lay down their weapons.
Similarly, we may seem now to be surrounded by the forces of evil?disease, injustice, oppression, death. But the enemy has actually been defeated at Calvary. Things are not the way they seem to be. It is only a matter of time until it becomes clear to all that the battle is really over.
Richard J. Mouw, Uncommon Decency, pp. 149-150.
[3] Don?t give in to fear, because we cannot be defeated by the devil, as long as we stay close to Jesus.
James 4: 7 ?Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8a Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you??
C. Elisha?s Servant Receives Spiritual Sight.
II Kings 6: 15 ?And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do??
16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open 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.?
NOTE: [1] Elisha?s servant is representative of the man who lives according to his senses rather than according to the Spirit. With his natural eyes he could see only the problem, not God?s protection. With his natural eyes he saw the enemy as overpowering, not God?s omnipotence. One who views his circumstances only through the eyes of the flesh will always be fearful.
[2] Verse 16 is basically the Old Testament version of First John 4: 4b. Elisha, the man living according to the Spirit, said, ??They that be with us are more than they that be with them? (v. 16b). The New Testament equivalent is: ??Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world? (I John 4: 4b). Never forget folks: We are not fighting for victory. We are fighting from victory (Warren W. Wiersbe). Jesus K-O-ed the devil at the Cross. We may lose a skirmish or two, but the battle has been won.
[3] Verse 17 is not only an account of what God did for a scared servant of old; but it is also an assurance of what God can do for scared saints of today. What we need in this evil day is spiritual eyesight. Look at the difference it makes.
3a. The servant said, ?We?re surrounded!? Elisha said, ?No, they?re surrounded.?
3b. The servant said, ?We?re in trouble!? Elisha said, ?No, we?re triumphant.?
III. A DRAMATIC ENTRAPMENT
A. Notice The Strange Blindness Of Syria?s Army.
II Kings 6: 18 ?And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.?
NOTE: The word ?blindness? does not refer to the physical malady that we think of when we hear the word. Here the word means, ?lack of recognition? (Charles F. Pfeiffer and Everett F. Harrison, Editors, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; pg. 346).
At the very time Stalin was liquidating millions, the Rev. Hewlett Johnson of Canterbury spoke of him as bringing in the kingdom of Christ.
Paul Johnson, Modern Times: The World from the Twenties to the Eighties, Harper and Row, 1983.
Though the spies sent to find Elisha?s whereabouts were no doubt with the Syrian army to point him out, no one actually recognized that the man speaking to them was Elisha. God had rendered the Syrian army powerless by the mere word of His prophet.
B. Notice The Surprise Of The Syrian Army?s Arrival.
1. The Syrians were surprised they were in Samaria.
II Kings 6: 19 ?And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria.
20 And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.?
NOTE: [1] My, what a sight this must have been! The power of God had rendered the Syrian army powerless. They had come to capture one man with an army of soldiers, with horses and chariots (v. 14a). But the very man they were looking for walked right up to that bunch and said, ?Hey fellahs, this isn?t the place you?re looking for. You must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. Let me take you there.? And they bought it.
[2] I almost laugh out loud when I think about the surprise of the guard on the wall of Samaria who saw this great Syrian army approaching the city. He must have yelled down to his superior,
?Cap?n! Come quick! You won?t believe what I see.?
?Well, speak up, soldier. What do you see??
?Sir, the whole Syrian army is comin? this way! And that little Baptist preacher, Elisha, is a leadin? ?em!
[3] Can you imagine the surprise on the faces of the Syrians when they came to themselves and found that they were in downtown Samaria, surrounded by Israeli troops?
2. The king of Israel was surprised over this whole situation.
II Kings 6: 21 ?And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them??
C. Notice The Supper That Halted Syria?s Aggression.
II Kings 6: 22 ?And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.
23 And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.?
NOTE: [1] These Syrian soldiers were the prisoners of God. It wasn?t the king of Israel?s place to execute them. Besides that, one reason these men were not to be killed was to show the Syrians the nature of Israel?s God?He was merciful and kind. This also illustrates for us what our response to our enemies should be. Paul put it this way:
Rom.12: 20 ?Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.?
Perhaps this story will further illustrate what I mean:
In The Grace of Giving, Stephen Olford tells of a Baptist pastor during the American Revolution, Peter Miller, who lived in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, and enjoyed the friendship of George Washington. In Ephrata also lived Michael Wittman, an evil-minded sort who did all he could to oppose and humiliate the pastor.
One day Michael Wittman was arrested for treason and sentenced to die. Peter Miller traveled seventy miles on foot to Philadelphia to plead for the life of the traitor.
?No, Peter,? General Washington said. ?I cannot grant you the life of your friend.?
?My friend!? exclaimed the old preacher. ?He?s the bitterest enemy I have.?
?What?? cried Washington. ?You?ve walked seventy miles to save the life of an enemy? That puts the matter in different light. I?ll grant your pardon.? And he did. Peter Miller took Michael Wittman back home to Ephrata?no longer an enemy but a friend.
Lynn Jost.
[2] There was a second important reason why these men were not to be executed. Feeding them and then setting them free would not only be an act of mercy, but it would also let Syria know that she was powerless against the nation whose guardian was Jehovah God.
Theme: God?s preserving power became evident through:
I. A DREADED ENEMY
II. A DIVINE ENLIGHTENMENT
III. A DRAMATIC ENTRAPMENT
