CHARIOTS OF FIRE

In the sixth chapter of 2 Kings is the story of Elisha the prophet and his young servant who both needed deliverance from a great peril that they found themselves in.  God was faithful to His servants and sent a mighty deliverance in a unique and unprecedented way.  God is no less faithful toward you and me today.  When we find ourselves in difficulties, temptations, trials, or great peril; we can rely on the promises that God has given us in Christ Jesus to lead us to victory.

 

“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.  And the man of God [Elisha the prophet] sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down.  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 nor twice.” (2 Kings 6:8-10).

 

The king of Israel at this time was Jehoram, who had succeeded King Ahab.  The king of Syria was either Ben-Hadad I or Ben-Hadad II.  This king decided to attack Israel with raiding parties and he began to plan his strategies with his top counselors.  Elisha the prophet, however, was counseling with his top advisor: God!  God would reveal to Elisha where the Syrians would be sending their army and Elisha, in turn, would warn Jehoram, the king of Israel.

 

“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 shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?  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.” (2 Kings 6:11, 12).

 

The king of Syria was, of course, extremely aggravated over what was happening, and he suspected that there had to be a spy among his closest circle of advisors.  One of his servants then told him about the man of God that was in Israel who knew all of Ben-Hadad’s plans as soon as he spoke them and was informing Jehoram about them all.  Veiled within this historical account are some spiritual lessons that we need to understand and pay attention to. 

 

It was because Elisha was walking with God that he was able to discern what the enemy was doing in secret.  God could speak to His prophet because He knew His prophet was listening to the still, small voice of the Spirit.  Elisha was determined to serve his heavenly Father in whatever ways He would require.  Elisha was also open to the words that God would speak to him, and those words would shed light on the works of darkness.  It was because Elisha was exposing the enemy’s tactics that he soon found himself in trouble.

 

“And he [the king of Syria] said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him [Elisha]. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.  Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.  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 [or what] shall we do?” (2 Kings 6:13-15).

 

The king of Syria was determined to apprehend Elisha, and perhaps destroy him.  Therefore he sent a great host of soldiers, along with cavalry and chariots, to surround the city of Dothan where Elisha was, and block any possible escape. 

 

There is nothing more effective against an enemy than to expose his plans before he can carry them out.  That enemy will stop at nothing to try to silence the voice that would shed light on his evil deeds.  He will kill, steal, and destroy in order to see that his plans are not thwarted.  I guess you can tell that we are not talking about Ben-Hadad any longer, but about the enemy of our souls who seeks to silence the witness of the children of God.  What Satan does, he does in the darkness.  He uses lies and deceptions to carry out his agenda.  He fears being exposed to the light because it reveals what he is actually doing.  The one thing that best exposes his devilish tactics is the Word of God.  He who represents Jesus Christ, upholds the Word of truth, and gives voice to the things that God is speaking and doing in their life, makes him/herself a target of the evil one.  Satan will try to tempt you, discourage you, accuse and condemn you, trouble you, perplex you, and persecute you.  He will even send evil or troubling dreams to you to make you doubt yourself and your walk with God.  This is why Peter warned the church to, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” (1 Peter 5:8, 9).  Often it seems like we are the only ones struggling and no one else is going through the same kind of trials that we are, but Peter reminds us here that our brethren are experiencing the same afflictions that we are.  We are not alone. 

 

When Elisha’s servant saw the Syrian army surrounding the city, his reaction was much like what ours would be when we encounter difficult situations let alone life threatening ones.  He said, “What shall we do?”  This very question turns out to be part of the problem in finding the solution to our problems.  It is not a matter of what we can do at all.  The solution always lies in our believing what our Savior Jesus Christ has already done for us.  The Apostle John reminds us, “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you [Jesus], than he that is in the world [Satan].” (1 John 4:4).  John continues in the next chapter, “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.  Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4, 5).

 

“And he [Elisha] answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.  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.” (2 Kings 6:11-17).

 

As human beings, we are caught up in the visible, temporal world.  We’re brought up to believe that “what you see is what you get.”  As Christians, however, we are introduced to a whole new world that is unseen and eternal.  The heavens and the earth that we now know will someday pass away to make way for new heavens and a new earth wherein only righteousness will dwell.  Jesus said, “My Kingdom is not of this world.”  He spoke of a Kingdom that is invisible to natural eyes, but is more real than all the kingdoms that ever have been or ever will be.  Jesus Himself will rule and reign on the throne of that Kingdom forever and ever.  Amen.  Paul wrote, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18).

 

Whether or not Elisha could see the chariots of fire was immaterial.  He knew and believed that they were there!  He knew that with God on your side, you always outnumber the enemy.  Elisha wanted his servant’s eyes of faith to be opened, though.  So he prayed, “LORD, I pray Thee, open his eyes, that he may see.”  Oh, how we need our eyes to be opened as well when we are going through difficult times.  God is always with us.  His eyes are always on the righteous, and His ears are always open to their cry.  We may not always see Him moving in the background, but we can always trust that He is.  Scripture tells us, “The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them.” (Psalms 34:7).  They that are with us are always more than they that be with them.  Do not despair, Child of God.  You can cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 

 

Elisha spoke another prayer just then.  He asked God to strike the Syrian host with blindness.  Then he told them, "This is not the way, nor is this the city.  Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek."  He then led them to Samaria, to the king of Israel.  When Jehoram saw the enemy in his hands, he asked Elisha, “Shall I kill them?”  Elisha, however, replied, “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.” The prophet would not allow Jehoram to kill the captives, but urged him to treat them civilly as prisoners of war.  So they fed them and sent them back to Ben-Hadad peacefully.  These same men never did invade Israel again for scripture tells us, “So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.” (2 Kings 6:23).

 

Be assured that the more you expose the enemy and his tactics by speaking the truth, the more you will find yourself in warfare with him.  Be of good cheer, though, for your heavenly Father will give His angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways.  You won’t always see them, but you can be assured that they are there.  Our warfare is not with flesh and blood, but with spiritual forces that operate in the unseen world.  This is where God operates as well.  His angels are always doing battle on the behalf of those who are the heirs of salvation.  Do not place your trust in only what you can see, but trust in the power of Him Who is invisible and Who loves you and me.  If God is for us, my Friends, who can be against us?  The victory is always ours in Christ – we merely need to have the eyes of our understanding opened to see what was there all along.