Sermon Tone Analysis

Elijah and Elisha 26.

Isn’t it wonderful to be a Christian?! Christ comes into your life and all your problems are solved!

Hallelujah!

Everything is smooth and huncky-dory!

Right?

Wrong!

Yes, it is wonderful to be a Christian; but we were never promised that it would be smooth sailing with no problems.

Christianity is not some Polly-Anna philosophy – it deals with the real world; and the real world is tough!

Do I hear an “Amen”?! [P] What do you do when it all turns to custard?

When you are faced with an unsolvable crisis?

When the excreta hits the fan?

When the bottom falls out of your world?

When you are faced with something that is totally beyond you?

Of course, none of you ever have!

But it happened in the passage we are looking at today [P] [2 Kings 6:8–23 Now the king of Aram (the country to the north, Syria – the conflict is still going on today!) was warring against Israel; and he counselled with his servants saying, [P]“In such and such a place shall be my camp.”

The man of God (that is Elisha) sent word to the king of Israel saying, [P] “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Arameans are coming down there.”

The king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God had told him; [P] thus he warned him, so that he guarded himself there, more than once or twice.

[P] (it happened repeatedly) Now the heart of the king of Aram was enraged over this thing; (it was too consistent to be a coincidence – he had a mole!) [P] and he called his servants and said to them, [P] “Will you tell me which of us is for the king of Israel?” (there was obviously a spy, an informer, who was telling the king of Israel his plans) One of his servants said, [P] “No, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel (they knew about him even in Syria), tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.”

(nothing is hidden from God, even in the secrets of your bedroom) So, he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and take him.”

(how naïve, as if he wouldn’t know that too!)

And it was told him, saying, “Behold, he is in Dothan.”

[P] He sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city.

(he thought that he could overcome God with might!) Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, [P] behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city.

[P] And his servant said to him, [P] “Alas, my master!

What shall we do?” [P] So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

(Elisha could already see them, or at least knew that they were there; the problem was that his servant couldn’t see the true reality) Then Elisha prayed and said, [P] “O יהוה, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” (the implication is that Elisha already saw.

He wanted his servant to see what he saw) And יהוה opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; [P] (spiritual insight – seeing things as they really are) and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

(an unseen army, spiritual beings) [P] When they (that is the Aramean army) came down to him, (because, of course, they couldn’t see the army of fire, they thought that they had him) [P] Elisha prayed to יהוה and said, [P] “Strike this people with blindness, I pray.”

[P] So He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

[P] (Every time Elisha prayed, it happened) Then Elisha said to them, [P] “This is not the way, nor is this the city; follow me and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” (meek as a lamb they followed, what else can you do?

When you’re blind you are utterly dependent) [P] And he brought them to Samaria.

[P] When they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, [P] “O יהוה, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” (For the third time, he prays – the same prayer that he had prayed for his servant) So יהוה opened their eyes and they saw; [P] and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria!

Then the king of Israel when he saw them, said to Elisha, [P] “My father, shall I kill them?

Shall I kill them?”

He answered, [P] “You shall not kill them.

Would you kill those you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? [P] Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.”

[P] (the evil king would have taken advantage, destroyed the helpless; but Elisha showed grace, gave what they didn’t deserve.

They came to capture him, but He fed them) So he prepared a great feast for them; and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, [P] and they went to their master.

And the marauding bands of Arameans did not come again into the land of Israel.]

Like all stories of Elisha – it is a story of salvation – saved from a crisis!

Elisha’s servant had a problem!

A crisis! [P] He served the man of God, Elisha – in the typology, he served Jesus.

Then one morning he got up, went out early, to do whatever you do first thing in the morning – perhaps get some water from the well; but as soon as he steps out the door, what does he see?

A mighty army surrounding the city!

Totally unexpected, unprovoked, they didn’t deserve this.

They weren’t in the capital – Samaria was where the king was.

What was the Aramean army doing at Dothan?

He feared God, served the man of God; shouldn’t he be spared such things?

If anybody deserved attack, it was the idolatrous regime that ran the country.

What were they going to do?!

They weren’t prepared to defend themselves, the army was with the king in Samaria.

It was a real crisis!

A life-threatening crisis!

He hit the panic button: “Alas, my master!

What shall we do?”

I suppose he did the right thing, he went to the man of God, cried out to Jesus, called him “my lord”.

He went to his master for direction.

“What shall we do?!”

We have to do something!

But it is more a cry of despair.

Elisha, however, does not seem to be disturbed.

It reminds me of the disciples in the boat on the Sea of Galilee in a storm: [Mark 4:37–40 And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up.

(It was a crisis!)

Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; (He wasn’t worried) and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.”

And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.

And He said to them, “Why are you afraid?

How is it that you have no faith?”]

There were the disciples overwhelmed by the calamity: “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”.

Look, their living came from the sea, they were familiar with boats; when they thought they were in danger of drowning, the danger was real.

But Jesus was asleep!

It didn’t seem to concern Him.

How do you have that kind of peace is a crisis?

I mean, the crisis is real!

It is a question of vision.

[P] You will notice that there is a lot about vision in this passage – יהוה opened eyes on two occasions and closed them on another.

The servant’s problem was a problem of vision – of seeing.

The servant looked at the problem, not to the LORD.

It was a matter of focus [P] And when the crisis strikes, it overwhelms!

Like the servant we say: “Alas, Lord; what shall we do?!”

The problem is BIG!

It fills our vision!

So much so, that our vision of יהוה becomes diminished.

We are seeing things from the human perspective, not God’s.

Jesus told Peter off: [Mark 8:33 But Jesus rebuked Peter.

“Get away from Me, Satan,” he said.

“Your thoughts don’t come from God but from human nature!”]

Peter was thinking from a human point of view, and Jesus said it was satanic!

He didn’t want anything to do with it.

And how often we look at our situation from a human viewpoint.

Where do your eyes turn in the crisis?

The Psalmist said: [Psalm 121:1–3 I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come?

My help comes from יהוה, Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber.]

He needed help, he lifted his eyes to the mountains, perhaps hoping for some deliverance to come.

But help doesn’t come from a natural source.

His help came not from the mountains but from יהוה! Hallelujah!

He has unlimited power: “He made heaven and earth”; has infinite concern: “He will not allow your foot to slip”.

He keeps you.

He is never off duty! Always aware, never asleep!