The Eyes Have It
The Role of the Spiritual Optometrist
II Kings 6:8-18
Have you ever had an eye exam, I am sure you have been to an optometrist at least once it is the most interesting exam that you have ever had. It is also the least probing of all medical exams which I can am grateful for. You know the technology has advanced from when Rev. Mungo took the exam and the letters on the wall were an indicator as they went from largest to smallest. Now I have learned that an eye exam is different than a vision screening. How ever both are important to the health of your eyes.
Today I want to discuss and share the example of the master Optometrist ability to examine, control, correct and heal your sight.
We must however determine the sight of vision that we are addressing today if you are looking at me you are blessed to have your sight. This means that God has enable your eyes to do what they do by transforming light impulses to the brain and delivering the images. As we have determined over years of discovery our bodies contain the most advanced technology in that its complex operation of various organs and senses baffle our understanding.
In our text we are introduced to a the King of Syria (who was an Armean named Ben-Had ad)
They were practicing guerilla warfare which meant this type of warfare was like hit and run. They’d attack periodically and destroy Israel bit by bit. Well Israel had a man of God praying for them named Elisha
Elisha was the servant of Elijah and the one who received the double portion, who saw Elijah carried away in the chariot to heaven this Elisha who was given to do more than Elijah, was in the camp with his servant.
This same Elisha healed Naaman in Chapter 5 of which his servant Gehazi was fired, this is important. Gehazi was in line for the blessings and the benefits of serving the man of God but forfeited by his greed in 5:16/20. this is important because we often forfeit our blessings because of disobedience and the belief that we are getting away with something. But God knows all and sees all.
Since Gehazi was plagued with leprosy Elisha had a new servant here in Chapter 6 his name is not given. Like many of us when we come into the knowledge of Christ and God we haven’t been around long enough to have experienced the power and deliverance of God this was this servants condition immature and unaware to the thing of God.
In our text this guerilla warfare was frustrating the King of Syria because it would seem every time they set ambushes against Israel this caused the: Lord to Give (In-sight) to Elijah in the spirit which he would inform the King of Israel what BenHadad,s plans were and every time the King of Aram would try to attack he was unsuccessful because of the (fore-sight) of Elijah and obedience of the King of Israel.
After some time the King of Aram was so frustrated he began to inquire as to who was a trader or spy in his camp that the Israelites knew their every move and one of the soldiers began to explain that the Israelites had a man of God that tells them everything the King of Syria says even in his bedchamber. Now this was significant because it meant that not only could Elijah know what he was doing but the information was The Kings very bedchamber was bugged. Do you know that the Holy Spirit is our informant he hints at us and warns of the enemies attempts and a lot of times we are less in tune with the spirit because we are consumed with our flesh and walk and talk in the flesh missing the information that assures us victory.
So this Moved the King to action where in they found Elisha in Dothan the King of Syria sent an overwhelming amount of soldiers to surround the city to ensure Elisha’s capture.
The city was surrounded by horses and chariots. (for one man)
Elisha was bad; I mean he was a great prophet as his double portion began to emulate from his life he had already developed a reputation or a name for himself and God.
When you are on the move for God doing what his will is and he is using you to bless and love others you best believe you are on the list of the Devils Most Wanted. They have your poster at their post office. They send out to know where you are what you’re going to be facing tomorrow they plan and plot the demons and the devil because like Elisha you have to be stopped your information to the kingdom and your value to the survival of Gods’ people is critical and you are interrupting his operations.
The servant of Elisha remembered Gehazi got fired and leprosy now this new servant was with Elisha with no name. But we do learn that he is on his job he is up early in the morning probably preparing to serve the man of God with the morning necessities and as he goes he is floored by what he sees with his first words fear and panic grips and him and he says to Elisha.
Oh my lord, what shall we do?
( Oh My God!)
(Jesus now what)
Lord help!
The prophet’s response was an eye rousing one.
Vs. 16
Now wait a minute his servant is listening to the man of God explain this more and he is looking and sees hundreds surrounding them and he sees Elisha and himself.
And that’s where many of us are today we are just like the servant of Elisha we can’t see so Elisha in the middle of what appears to be a scary situation orders and Eye exam.
Yes; Sir; Elisha says hey you need a vision screening right now! he gets on the line the prayer line and calls up the Doctor lord open his eyes so he may see.
Now the Doctor orders special sight enhancing instrument for the servant of Elisha
When I was in the army they had what many of you may have heard night vision goggles in the police department they used them to.
These interesting binoculars enabled the soldier to see even in the event there was no light and the area was dark.
Impossible no it was very possible for this goggles had the ability to take protons which send off heat particles and gather them together through a filter and create light from what light the natural eye was incapable of seeing.
Jesus is the light of the world and what we fail to accept and or realize is that no matter How dark the night or my situation or how dimly my vision is or what I see in the natural I am confident that if I get a vision screening and call on the doctor he will provide me with the ability to see.
I am reminded of many o’ man that had been blessed with there sight to
When the Philistines wanted to disable Samson they gauged out his eyes which rendered him limited in his attempts to destroy and had to be led to the pillars.
I am reminded of Blind Bartmaous who yelled out despite the crowd’s jeers for him to shut up he wanted to see and after placing the dirt on his eyes he was instructed to wash in the pool of shalom and he said I can see but the men look like trees and the lord blessed with his clear vision
Finally I am reminded of a man named Saul given direction to destroy all Christians and on his way to Damascus He is blinded by a light from heaven so that he could no see until the man of god Phillip prayed for him and scales fell from his eyes.
God is the sight giver and healer we are challenged daily by not having the ability to see in the spirit. There are obstacles called flesh, fear, frustration, fog, flashes
Fear: we can’t see because we have allowed Satan to scare us with his tactics of bark and no bite
Flesh: we can’t see because we are in the flesh primarily we have adopted our humanistic means of dealing with what the devil has presented.
Frustration: when after trying to deal with it in the flesh now we are frustrated because there has been no change and it appears to get bigger or worse
Flashes: When we are attempting to see spiritually we get those flashes of the devils an image which makes for poor visibility into the spirit of what God wants us to see.
Fog: this is the one I find myself in mostly I have asked to the Lord for vision to see spiritually and as he begins to reveal I allow my own emotions, doubts and images of my self to fog up the perception. When it is not about me as much as it is God revealing himself to me.
Now the story doesn’t end here, now that the servant was able to see all that the Lord provided in the Spiritual there was a method to deal with the natural army that had arrived with the intent to capture Elisha.
Elisha exercised wisdom in the request in Vs 18 now Elisha was in tune with God and his wisdom. He didn’t let what he saw dictate his own method or will to deal with the situation he asked God to blind them.
Awesome isn’t it How many of us would have asked for lord strike em down, take away their weapons, make them go away. You see every battle is an opportunity to glorify God. God was using Elisha to bless all of Israel if he had asked only for himself there would have been no Glory to God in that blessing.
Elisha let the hundreds of blind soldiers straight to Samaria where the King of Israel was who they had been trying to destroy.
The lord allowed the king to feed them and when they went back to the Armea they were delivered from ever bothering Isarael again.
There are so many image enhancing or altering things.
Windows protect us
Shades
Glasses assist where we need
Mirrors.
When I was a single parent in Georgia one of my boys and my daughters passions were to go to the monster truck show. I mean we made it a date every year. And well with type of crowd and noise they just look forward to it. At this time Gerard who is my ten year old now was only two. And he was frustrated and upset that he could not see what his older brother and sister could see due to press of the crowd and where we were at intermission. So I lifted him up on my soldier and he could see what he needed. Before I lifted him he was among legs and giants and was unable to enjoy the view that everyone else had.
Your eyes belong to God and everyone has the ability to see spiritually what God has for them but you have to ask.
And when he lifts you up on his shoulder to things happen, I can see, and He is holding me.
