We have been reading of the kings of Syria and Israel who frequently fought each other, with tenuous times of peace between the battles. During one raid, the Syrians arrived at night and surrounded the city. This caused Elisha’s servant to be greatly afraid, but the prophet told him not to fear. Elisha was not disturbed by what he saw; instead, he gave his servant the ability to see the invisible spirits that are constantly ready to do God’s work. The Lord was in control, and there was no need to worry. (Read that again, read it until you believe it!)

The Bible, all of it, is the story of God. Every human from every nation is part of His story.  God’s Word, written down word by word by His people who listened and obeyed Him, freely speaks of His character, habits of behavior, along with His great, relentless, unfailing love, mercy, and grace for those He created, “in the image of God.” No matter how far His created wander and become lost; God the Father never gives up on them—or us.  Jesus, the Son was sent as the Way back to God.  Jesus was Truth and proclaimed Truth to a confused world. Jesus, God in the flesh, redeemed us of our sins with the gift of eternal Life with God.

Yes, the story is all about God.  From beginning to end; God is in control.  God is in all, above all and over all.  God the Father, Jesus, the Son, and Holy Spirit are the Three-in-One, the Alpha and Omega—beginning and end who puts the period on His story of redemption for all who believe.  God has never given up His authority or sovereignty over the world in which He created.  Many will try, but they will fail.  God is God.  We are not.

With God in mind, let us read on….

2 Kings 7

The Siege Lifted

³ Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, “Why stay here until we die? ⁴ If we say, ‘We’ll go into the city’—the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die.”

⁵ At dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans. When they reached the edge of the camp, no one was there, ⁶ for the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army, so that they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack us!” ⁷ So they got up and fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives.

⁸ The men who had leprosy reached the edge of the camp, entered one of the tents and ate and drank. Then they took silver, gold and clothes, and went off and hid them. They returned and entered another tent and took some things from it and hid them also.

⁹ Then they said to each other, “What we’re doing is not right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let’s go at once and report this to the royal palace.”

¹⁰ So they went and called out to the city gatekeepers and told them, “We went into the Aramean camp and no one was there—not a sound of anyone—only tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents left just as they were.” ¹¹ The gatekeepers shouted the news, and it was reported within the palace.

¹² The king got up in the night and said to his officers, “I will tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know we are starving; so they have left the camp to hide in the countryside, thinking, ‘They will surely come out, and then we will take them alive and get into the city.’”

¹³ One of his officers answered, “Have some men take five of the horses that are left in the city. Their plight will be like that of all the Israelites left here—yes, they will only be like all these Israelites who are doomed. So let us send them to find out what happened.”

¹⁴ So they selected two chariots with their horses, and the king sent them after the Aramean army. He commanded the drivers, “Go and find out what has happened.” ¹⁵ They followed them as far as the Jordan, and they found the whole road strewn with the clothing and equipment the Arameans had thrown away in their headlong flight. So the messengers returned and reported to the king. ¹⁶ Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. So a seah of the finest flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley sold for a shekel, as the Lord had said.

¹⁷ Now the king had put the officer on whose arm he leaned in charge of the gate, and the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died, just as the man of God had foretold when the king came down to his house. ¹⁸ It happened as the man of God had said to the king: “About this time tomorrow, a seah of the finest flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.”

¹⁹ The officer had said to the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?” The man of God had replied, “You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it!” ²⁰ And that is exactly what happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

God warns his people through His prophets. Elisha is one of those prophets who are honored to see some of what God sees.  Elisha’s trust in God (mentored by the faith of Elijah) is beyond most of those within the world around him. He knows God will do exactly what He says He will do so he says exactly what God tells him to say.  Not all will want to hear it or heed the warnings of God through his prophets; but that doesn’t matter. Truth will be said.

The same God that gave us commandments such as “Do not commit adultery, do not murder” said, “Do not fear, along with do not worry.” It’s a violation of our relationship to God to question his authority by worrying.  God’s story frequently tells his prophets to say, do not be afraid, because God is doing what He says He will do.

From experience, both past and present, I have learned that fear can paralyze us.  Worry divides our focus and attentiveness of our trust in God causing an inability to do exactly what God told us to be and do. A habit of worry erodes our trust in God who is able. But surrendering all to God builds our trust and gives a faith of resolve—resolved that God knows and can do what only God can do.  This is called “blessed assurance.”

NEWS FLASH:  Most of the things we worry over for days on end, don’t even come to pass. Yes, read that again! 

Continue to be honest, for God already knows our hearts and sees our minds. It’s okay and acceptable then to tell God of all that is bothering us and zapping our energy. And remember what Jesus said;

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”—Jesus, Matthew 11:28-29

This is God. This is who God is. This is God who gave His One and Only Son, a part of Himself, to remove our sins by a once and for all sacrifice, so that we may live in relationship with Him for eternity. This is a love that never fails or gives up on us, we who are His created.  Bottom line—from Old Testament through the New Testament is that we have a real, attentive, all-knowing God who loved us first and desires us to simply love Him back, trust and obey Him.  God desires His best for us.

“I’ve seen it with my own eyes!”

Lord,

Thank you for the miracles you performed through your prophets like Elijah and now Elisha that declare your glory at work in all situations and circumstances. Thank you for the miracles you perform daily that open our eyes to see You, really see You in all your glory as you consistently demonstrate your love, mercy, and grace for us. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

In Jesus Name, Amen