Introduction
Today we continue our series called people like us. The theme verse for the “People Like Us” series actually comes from the New Testament book of James. I want to invite you to read this together with me as we begin the message today.
James 5:17-18 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
Last week we talked in detail about Elijah and his experiences of defeating 450 false prophets and then running for his life in despair. The truth is people like us experience ups and downs. Elijah experienced a great victory on Mt. Carmel and a time of great depression as he hid under a broom tree. So, whether you are “on the mountain” or “under the tree” we can draw comfort from the fact that people like us experience ups and downs.
Elijah was a great prophet of God, but today we are going to focus on another prophet—Elisha. Elisha was the one who succeeded Elijah after he was taken up into heaven. I’ve mentioned before that Elisha is someone in the Bible I can identify with for two basic reasons. (1) He served as “assistant prophet” before he became “senior prophet.” (2) His hairline was similar to mine.
Look at what happened to him right after he became the main prophet of Israel.
2 Kings 2:23-24 From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. "Go on up, you baldhead!" they said. "Go on up, you baldhead!" He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths.
That passage really speaks to me. :)
In all seriousness, Elisha followed in the footsteps of Elijah. He was faithful to the Lord. And God worked in dramatic ways during the time of his service. And in 2 Kings 6:8-22 he teaches us yet another lesson about “people like us.”
People Like Us Can See The Unseen
Lets look together at 2 Kings 6 beginning with verse 8.
2 Kings 6:8-17 Now the king of Aram was at war with Israel. After conferring with his officers, he said, "I will set up my camp in such and such a place." The man of God sent word to the king of Israel: "Beware of passing that place, because the Arameans are going down there." So the king of Israel checked on the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places.
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?" "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." "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. When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked. "Don’t be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." 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.
This is quite a dramatic story, but it teaches us a simple truth. The truth is this, people like us can see the unseen.
People like us can see. . .
1. THE UNSEEN SCHEMES OF THE ENEMY
Notice again what takes place in verses 8-12.
2 Kings 6:8-12 Now the king of Aram was at war with Israel. After conferring with his officers, he said, "I will set up my camp in such and such a place." The man of God sent word to the king of Israel: "Beware of passing that place, because the Arameans are going down there." So the king of Israel checked on the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places. 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?" "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."
We’re at a time in Israel’s history when the king of Aram, also known as Syria was at war with Israel. These verses give us a birds eye view of what was happening during that time. The king of Aram was experiencing great frustration because every time he would come up with a strategy to attack the Israelites it seemed like they were always one step ahead. Elisha, being told by God what the enemy was planning, would contact the king of Israel and say, “avoid taking this road or don’t go to that place.”
The Bible says that “time and again” this happened until the king of Aram became paranoid. So, he demanded of his officials, “who’s giving out our secrets?” In modern times we say, “who’s responsible for the leak?”.
With the help of God, Elisha was able to see the very plans of the one bent on destroying him and all of God’s people. And he was able to advise the king of Israel. . .”Don’t go there!”
This Old Testament experience can serve as a symbol of what we experience in our Christian walk. In Elisha’s day there was an enemy bent on destroying God’s people. Today those who seek to serve God battle against an invisible enemy.
Ephesians 6:11-12 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
When Elisha spoke to the king of Israel, his message could be summarized in three words. . .”Don’t go there.” The enemy is setting up camp there, you’ll be in trouble if you go there. Time and again Elisha helped the king be on guard in such places.
Our enemy is still in the business of setting up his camps for the purpose of ambushing us. And the message of God is still the same, “don’t go there.”
Here are some places where the enemy will set up camp to attack you, don’t go to these places.
The Desert of Discouragement: We covered this subject last week. One of the most powerful tools of the enemy is the tool of discouragement. If he can discourage you, he can paralyze you. So, don’t go there. Count the things that you have, not the things that you don’t have. See the glass as half full, not half empty.
The Cul-de-sac of Complaining: The devil would love for every Christian to spend all their time dwelling on all the ways they have been offended by others. There are some people who just seem to enjoy being miserable. Ray and Judy Linn who served here at Heath for 38 years had a practice in their home that I really like. When their children were young, Judy set up a “grumble jar” in the family room. Anytime somebody grumbled, they had to put a nickel in the grumble jar. Isn’t that great? Maybe it would be a good idea to install grumble jars at the office, or in our small group meetings or in the entry way. When you’re tempted to complain, don’t go there, it is a trap of the devil.
The Interstate of Indulgence: One night of “clubbing” won’t hurt. One drink isn’t going to bother me. One look at an image on the internet. . . Just this once. The warning from God is, “don’t go there.” Don’t go down the interstate of indulgence. “Sin will take you farther that you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay and cost you more than you will want to pay.”
We could go on all day about the “camps” the enemy has set up to trap God’s people. Don’t go there.
Not only did Elisha see the unseen schemes of the enemy, he also saw. . .
2. THE UNSEEN HAND OF GOD
2 Kings 6:13 "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."
Dothan was located about 60 miles north of Jerusalem. The name of the town means “two wells.” Archaeologists have uncovered the ruins of this ancient town. This underscores the fact that these were real events that really happened to “people like us.”
So the king of Aram sends his army to surround Dothan. It must have been quite an intimidating sight. And as you can see, Elisha’s servant experiences his own version of “shock and awe.”
2 Kings 6:15 When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked.
But just as he was able to see the unseen schemes of the enemy, Elisha was able to see the unseen hand of God at work. He says to his servant. . .
2 Kings 6:16-17 "Don’t be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." 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.
The rest of the story is quite amazing. Elisha prays that God would strike the enemy with blindness. Then he tricks the army and leads them into Samaria which is the capitol of Israel at this time. After they arrived in Samaria, the Lord opened their eyes and there they were inside the capitol of Israel in the presence of the king. The king of Israel must have been stunned and he asked Elisha, “do I kill them?” Elisha said, “no, prepare a great feast and send them back home.” After the army finished eating and drinking, they went back home to Aram. Then the Bible records, “So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel’s territory.”
Again, quite a dramatic story. And it happened because Elisha (a man like us) was able to see the unseen. Elisha saw the unseen schemes of the enemy. Elisha saw the unseen hand of God at work.
As I studied for this message I uncovered an interesting fact about the town of Dothan, the town this event took place in. Dothan is mentioned only twice in the Bible. Once in Genesis 37 and then here in 2 Kings 6.
Remember the story of Joseph. He was the favorite son of his father Jacob. Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him because he was the favorite. Jacob gave Joseph a beautiful coat of many colors, this made them angry. To make matters worse, Joseph kept telling them about these prophetic dreams he was having. In the dreams, the brothers were all bowing down to him. They were furious.
On one occasion Joseph was sent to check on his brothers who were away tending sheep. That’s where the town Dothan comes in.
Genesis 37:17-20 So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. "Here comes that dreamer!" they said to each other. "Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams."
What does Dothan mean? “Two Wells” -Joseph’s brothers were going to throw him into one of those wells. But, as the account goes, they ended up selling him as a slave to some traders walking down the road. Joseph was then separated from his family. He goes from being the favorite son to being a slave.
There is a parallel between Joseph’s story and Elisha’s story. Both of them represent impossible situations. Have you been to Dothan lately? Can you think of a time when life’s circumstances seemed to surround you like an invading army? Can you think of a time when you felt “ganged up on” by difficulties like Joseph’s brothers ganged up on him?
If that represents where you are in your life, I would like to echo again the prayer of Elisha for his servant. “Open his eyes so he may see.” Oh that our eyes would be opened to the amazing power of God.
Elisha’s servant opened his eyes and saw horses and chariots of fire all around the hillside. Suddenly he realized he was not alone, and God was in control.
This story brings to mind the words of a popular Christian song I remember from several years back. “I’ve got power that you can’t see. God is living inside of me. I can fight any enemy, ‘cause God and I are a majority.” The Bible puts it this way. . .
1 John 4:4 . . . the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
And God delivered Elisha in a very dramatic way. But perhaps you’re saying, I do believe that God has power, but it doesn’t seem like God has done anything dramatic in my life. I can’t point to any supernatural dramatic events. I’ve never seen the chariots of fire or called down fire from heaven. I believe God is there, but where if my dramatic rescue?
To that I would ask you to consider the experience of Joseph. The same God that was present in Elisha’s day was present earlier in Joseph’s day. There was Joseph obviously being treated unfairly by his brothers. If God had the power to overcome the entire army of Aram, certainly He would have had the power to overcome Joseph’s brothers. But Joseph isn’t rescued. He’s sold into slavery, in some ways that was a fate worse than death.
Joseph ends up in Egypt and after a series of events becomes successful. He becomes so successful that he is placed second in command of all Egypt. Joseph was personally responsible for an entire nation preparing for a time of famine. He saved many lives. Approximately 17 years after they sold their brother into slavery, Joseph’s brothers make their way to Egypt. They are looking to buy food because of the great famine. Unknown to them, they end up face to face with the brother they had sold out years before. He eventually reveals his identity to them and they are terrified. But notice his response.
Genesis 50:19-20 But Joseph said to them, "Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
Just like Elisha would centuries later, Joseph saw the unseen hand of God.
Sometimes God works in dramatic ways as he did with Elisha. Sometimes the unseen hand of God works gradually over time.
This past week Dave Klontz made the statement, “we live life forward but we understand it backwards.” And often its not until we look back that we God’s unseen hand at work in the events of our lives.
Jesus said. . .
John 16:33 In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
People like us can see the unseen. May our eyes be opened!
