With Eyes Wide Open

These are unprecedented times for us. Not unprecedented times for the Church of Jesus Christ, let alone for the God who is working all things according to the counsel of His will.

We can’t meet together right now, but that doesn’t mean we can live without the church - our church. Not in my lifetime, has the world ever been MORE in need of the blood-bought, good-news community of Jesus Christ … than right now.

Our society - so confident and cocky … “We have outgrown our need for God - that’s for kids. We can control the world.” And the feet have been knocked out from under our confidence … and we’re afraid.

“We don’t really fear the coronavirus.  It’s just a symptom of our deeper disease.  What we fear most is losing imaginary control over our lives.  Building its technological towers reaching to the heavens, humanity ascends in promethean defiance of God’s sovereignty.  But then appears a microscopic agent for which we have yet no vaccine, capable of copying itself.  We become anxious, not just because we may know people who are infected or even perhaps may die from it, but ultimately because it dispels the illusion of sovereignty.  It doesn’t make sense, especially in 2020.  Who’s in charge?  How did this happen?  Someone must be blamed for failing to prop up the tower.” (Michael Horton)

Never has the Church been more in need of the rock-solid foundation-providing, focus refining, fog removing Word of God. We are coming out of this in 1 of 2 ways: having relied on our own sufficiency and survived - which would grow our pride and be a lie

...OR .... we will be brought out of it knowing better God’s sufficiency … with a deeper faith and greater joy.

With that in mind, I want to take you to a passage in God’s word, back in the OT book of 2 Kings, chapter 6, verses 8-23.

We’ve been on a journey through the first chapter of Romans and will get back there after Easter. But for this week, just felt led to this incident from the life of Israel, from the life of God’s prophet Elisha. My prayer is that the Lord would nourish your hungry soul through this text.

PRAY.

READ

CONTEXT: Let me set the stage: Our text mentions the King of Syria and King of Israel, but we can’t be sure exactly WHICH ONES are in the camera lens here. One reason is that the text doesn’t tell us the names. Another reason is that these 2 nations hated each other and were at each other’s throats for centuries. So this could have been so many different times. Most likely, this is King Ben Haddad of Syria (Aram) and Joram, of Israel.

Something else you need to know to understand this story, is WHEN the Books of Kings were written. Our 1 and 2 Kings were written as 1 work. They’re only separate because they were too long to fit onto 1 scroll. The first audience of this work was the people of God, living in exile … after the Babylonians had decimated Jerusalem and Judah. Can you imagine what this account from history means to you, if you’re a worshiper of God, living under the boot of a foreign superpower who has dragged you from your home - has zero respect for your God, zero concern for you and seemingly holds the keys to power in its hand?

Something else you need to know to understand this story, is WHEN the Books of Kings were written. Our 1 and 2 Kings were written as 1 work. They’re only separate because they were too long to fit onto 1 scroll. The first audience of this work was the people of God, living in exile … after the Babylonians had decimated Jerusalem and Judah. Can you imagine what this account from history means to you, if you’re a worshiper of God, living under the boot of a foreign superpower who has dragged you from your home - has zero respect for your God, zero concern for you and seemingly holds the keys to power in its hand?

Let’s take a look at this story.

FRUSTRATION, vv. 8-13.

The story begins in frustration. Syria (or Aram) and Israel are warring. The king of Israel is FRUSTRATED because everywhere he goes on his royal business trips, he is under constant threat of attack from Syria. Who wants to live that way? You can’t rest!

The King of Syria - he’s also frustrated - because every time he plans an attack, the plans are made, everyone gets into place, sets up the ambush … and somehow, the king of Israel finds out about it and avoids the trap. One missed trap .... well, that could just be coincidence. But verse 10 tells us that he, ‘saved himself more than once or twice.’ Now that can only mean ONE thing.

The King of Syria calls his officials together … looks each one in the eye, with steely, penetrating gaze: “Okay, who is it?! Who’s the mole?! The only way that top secret plans of the military joint chiefs of staff can get to the enemy king .... is if there’s a spy among us, spilling our secrets. So, which one of you is the mole?” “Who of us is for the king of Israel?” (v. 11)

The generals look at each other in stunned silence - one clears his throat: “There are no traitors here, my king … but I know how the enemy is getting our top secret plans” Verse 12, “… Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king the words that you speak in your bedroom.”

“They have a secret weapon - that prophet Elijah - he doesn’t just know the plans we make here in the national war-room .... he hears what you are saying, when have the door closed, in your own bedroom - and you’re speaking in a whisper.”

You already get a sense here, at the beginning of this story, that when you are dealing with the People of God - there is a power you can’t see with the naked eye.

Well, the king of Syria is not going to give up. This is wartime. if Elisha is the problem - then Elisha needs to be removed. The king finds out where the prophet is … the city of Dothan … and to Dothan he sends soldiers.

This is no stealth, kidnapping team … to silently slip in and slip out without anyone hearing. Look at how v. 14 describes the team the king sends: “So he sent there HORSES and CHARIOTS and A GREAT ARMY, and they came by night AND SURROUNDED THE CITY.”

.... This is a massive military force that comes and surrounds an entire city. This is SHOCK AND AWE.

See them there .... SEE YOUR FEARS HERE, CHRISTIAN! Terror on every side. No place to RUN.

And here, in the night - Elisha has no idea the trouble he’s in.

2 THE DIFFERENCE VISION MAKES, vv. 14-17

2 THE DIFFERENCE VISION MAKES, vv. 14-17

Verse 14 takes us through the night to early the next morning. The sun is breaking through the darkness, birds start their chorus … and Elisha is still fast asleep.

His servant makes his morning coffee (well, the text doesn’t actually say that, but he HAD to be drinking coffee - otherwise how on earth would he have been able to see anything?!) .... the servant opens the front door, reaches down to pick up the newspaper from the doormat, and … “BEHOLD” (Hebrew word ‘hineh’ - always a mark of something new breaking into the normal) … v. 15, “… behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city.”

A fully-armed strike force - surrounding your helpless position. Let’s contextualize this: A VIRUS, spreading around the world, no cure, no proven vaccine, no idea how many people even have it!

A massive army, surrounding not just your little house, but your whole city … and you know that it’s there for you.

What do you do? More than likely, you do what Elisha’s servant does - — you run for support - from your mom, dad, boss, government .... and you cry out, “HELP!”

“Alas, my master! (the end of v. 15) WHAT SHALL WE DO?”

I LOVE Elisha’s response! No panic, not stress - gets out of bed, takes a swig of his morning coffee, maybe? And answers in v. 16, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

“Do not be afraid ...”. That’s not an invitation, it’s a command … a command with a reason. “Do not be afraid, BECAUSE … those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

Stop here for a moment: Elisha’s servant obviously slept through the night undisturbed .... was he in any LESS danger, lying in his bed, in the darkness of night, than he was when he went out for the morning paper?

The massive army was there when Dothan slept in the dark.

The servant was able to sleep because he couldn’t see what was hiding in the darkness - he was ignorant of the danger on his doorstep. Do you see how that applies to us, today?

Are you in any more danger NOW than you were BEFORE the CORONAVIRUS hit the news? Were you any more secure? Any less danger of death from a heart-attack, stroke, cancer, tumor, getting hit by a car or a stray gunshot in a gang battle?

Ignorance is one of God’s blessed gifts of protection - because if you knew every danger, lurking in the dark outside your door - how would you EVER be able to sleep in peace, any night?!

Oh but now, the servant can SEE the danger … and he’s terrified.

How important is Elisha’s response in vv. 16-17!

FIRST - He states the massively relevant fact - “Don’t be afraid … for THOSE WHO ARE WITH US are MORE than those who are with them.”

THAT’S TRUTH! Whether they have chariots or germs.

But Elisha doesn’t stop by ONLY SPEAKING TRUTH … he goes on to PRAY FOR VISION. Verse 17, “Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.’”

And the LORD answered. The servant turns his eyes from master to the enemy forces amassed around the city …

… the chariots, horses, armed soldiers - - they are all still there .... drooling at the prospects of taking these very men, chaining them … and dragging them back to Syria.

The enemy hasn’t shrunk by a single soldier’s hand. But NOW … NOW … Elisha’s servant sees ABOVE the perched army .... and, on the hills around the city ...

V. 17, “… and behold the mountain was full of horses and chariots (not just chariots, but chariots …) of fire all around Elisha.”

Maybe you already recognize this - but FIRE, in the OT, points to God’s Presence. So in the Exodus, God leads His people through a dangerous wilderness - and His presence, in the desert, with His people, is symbolized by a pillar of fire at night. “Sleep well, God is in your camp with you”.

Elisha’s own mentor, the prophet Elijah, was taken up, before his eyes, into heaven, in a single, fiery chariot … God, taking His faithful servant home in His arms. The presence of God.

Now, here is not 1 chariot, but a mountain, filled with flaming chariots. And the text tells us - they are SURROUNDING ELISHA!

If you are Elisha’s servant, can you see how this vision would completely change your perspective on the enemy soldiers at the gate?

“It’s one thing to be told the truth .... it’s another thing t BEHOLD the truth.”

You see an application here, don’t you? Every Scripture has some application for us in life, but there are times, when you’re studying a text to preach and you have really focus and think hard to find the application - - not here. Here, the application reaches up, grabs you by the throat and smacks you in the face, doesn’t it?

You already get it, but let me say it anyway: “It doesn’t matter the situation you are in, Christian. It doesn’t matter the size of the threat … doesn’t matter the number of enemies gathered around your house … doesn’t matter the deadliness of the weapon aimed at you ...

“Do NOT be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

God and you is a majority. Cheesy, but speaks a truth here.

This isn’t just Old Testament history … fast forward to Jesus, in the black of Gethsemane’s night - he’s just been betrayed by his own disciple, Judas .... betrayed with a kiss and handed over to a makeshift army with their clubs and swords.

Peter panics - pulls out his sword and slices off an ear. He’s flailing to protect his dear Lord.

You remember Jesus’ response. He doesn’t say, “Thanks for the help!”. , “Don’t you realize - I can call on my Father and He will send me more than 12 Legions of angels?”

72,000 of Heaven’s mighty angels, armed and ready for the 9-1-1 call. Jesus wasn’t short on help, when he was led away to the cross - but he leaves the angels in heaven … for a purpose: So that He can pay your penalty … so that He can give His righteousness to rebels like you and me .... one of the benefits of that sacrifice being this: when the world around is falling to pieces … and you wonder, “How can I trust that God cares about me?” … you can look back at the cross, recognize your trust in Christ’s finished work there - the exclamation point provided by His resurrection … and you can rest.

“He has made me righteous - given me just as much reason for confidence in heaven’s help as He had”. So rest, Christian.

“Wait a minute” - I can hear some of you saying out loud, “Christians get viruses, too!” “Christians get plagues!” “Christians do get hit by cars and that’s why Christian moms and dads teach their kids to look both ways before crossing the street … and to wash their hands!”

And the answer of the Bible is, “Yes, absolutely. But oh, there is NOT an ENEMY who can lay a FINGER ON A SINGLE HAIR OF YOUR HEAD … EXCEPT as part of God’s GOOD PLAN to care for you.”

Do you get that, Christian?

3 THE FOLLY OF FEAR. vv. 18-23

Elisha gets that … and in the rest of the story, we get some humor, as God shows Himself to be the One in such sovereign control over the enemies of His people, that they end up looking like puppets in His hands.

Elisha does some praying in this text - First, he prays, back in v. 17, that the LORD would open the eyes of his servant - so he could see his heavenly protection.

In v. 18, he prays again. This time, the prayer comes when the Syrian attack force makes its way towards Elisha’s house. The enemy is obviously oblivious to the fiery chariots standing guard for God’s people. The Syrians make their way into Dothan and to Elisha’s front door and Elisha prays … doesn’t panic, but prays.

“

Verse 18, “Please strike this people with blindness.” “So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha.” That word, ‘blindness’ in the Hebrew, doesn’t mean you can’t see a thing … It means more, a kind of visual ‘confusion’ … ‘disorientation’ … it’s the same word used for the men of Sodom who were banging on Lot’s door and when the angel inside struck them with ‘blindness’ - that’s this word - they didn’t lose all sight - they were disoriented.

In this ‘confused’ state, Elisha says, ‘Hey, you’re in the wrong place. I’ll take you to the guy you REALLY want to see ...”. And then he leads them like a tour guide, on a hike of 16 kms … all the way INTO the capitol city of their archenemy, Israel. Through the city gates, into the heart of the city - Israel’s military headquarters, home of the king of Israel himself.

And Elisha prays again, in v. 20, “As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha said, ‘O LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.’”

See the prayers and answer in this story - 3 prayers - 3 answers. You belong to a prayer-hearing God, Christian.

The king of Israel hears a commotion. He looks down from his palace window … and licks his lips.

This is like Skip the Dishes - military style - Enemies delivered right to your door!

The king runs down the stairs, out the door, calling, “Dinner is served!”

Elisha says, “That’s no way to treat your guests! Verse 22, “Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.” So they serve a banquet for them … Verse 23, “… he prepared for them a great feast ...”.

A feast - “You prepare a table for me, in the presence of my enemies.”

The enemy is sent home … with doggy bags for everyone. End of v. 23, “… and the Syrians did not come again on raids into the land of Israel.”

Well, I guess not. Oh friend, do you see the radical, peace-inspiring freedom of a child of God, purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ? … the confidence that comes from the unshakeable assurance that the God who cared enough about your situation - when you were paralyzed - dead in your sins … “He who did not spare his own Son; but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him GRACIOUSLY GIVE US ALLL THINGS?” Paul writes that in , and in the verse right before it, v. 31, he gives the conclusion that we should come to, in light of that eternity-altering truth: “If God is for us, WHO CAN BE AGAINST US?”

Foreign military forces surrounding your city? God takes them into .... and feeds them.

Please hear me right - this doesn’t mean we don’t listen to what our medical experts tell us. This doesn’t mean that you don’t wash your hands and walk carefully and cautiously ...

What it DOES mean, is that you live in the lightness and freedom of knowing that your days and the days of your loved ones, are NOT determined by how well everybody else does at keeping you safe. Your days are determined by the God who loved you enough to take on your flesh, live in this very world of suffering … to die for you and rise for your eternal life and joy. Living through these crazy days, with eyes wide open - will make all the difference in the world.

The Church has gone through OUTBREAKS before … Rodney Stark, in his book, ‘The Rise of Christianity” traces how an obscure, marginal group who claimed Jesus Christ as God’s Son in Human flesh, who was their Savior and Lord … how that bunch of nobodies turned the world upside down in less than 3 centuries. One of the key factors? .... The Christians’ response to plagues.

The first plague swept in from Ethiopia to Rome in 249. It lasted almost 20 years and was a LETHAL pandemic - People who suffered from it - experienced bouts of diarrhoea, couldn’t stop vomiting, went deaf, blind, legs and feet were paralyzed, throats swelled and their eyes filled with blood. More often than not, catching this plague was a death sentence.

At its height, there were upwards of 5,000 deaths EVERY DAY in Rome. The Romans thought this was a punishment from the gods. And while the plague was weakening the Empire, the Christians won hearts by the way they responded.

Dionysius, a leader in the church at Alexandria reported: “Most of our brother Christians showed unbounded love and loyalty, never sparing themselves and thinking only of one another. Heedless of danger, they took charge of the sick, attending to their every need and ministering to them in Christ, and with them departed this life serenely happy; for they were infected by others with the disease, drawing on themselves the sickness of their neighbors and cheerfully accepting their pains. Many, in nursing and curing others, transferred THEIR death to THEMSELVES and died in their stead.”

Taking death to give life … What a contrast to the non-Christian Romans:

“With the heathen everything was quite otherwise. they deserted those who began to be sick, and fled from their dearest friends. they shunned any participation or fellowship with death; which yet, with all their precautions, it was not easy for them to escape. (Eusebius ‘Eccl. Hist.’ 7.22.7-10)”

You can imagine what an impact it would make to a Roman -

A century later, another plague hit Rome - it was a different plague … more like measles. But it was just as deadly as the earlier plague. Whole towns in Italy were abandoned - some of them never to be resettled again. The military and infrastructure of the empire were massively weakened.

And once again, the Christians shone in the darkness of the trial.

Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, put it like this:

“How suitable, how necessary it is that this plague and pestilence, which seems horrible and deadly, searches out the justice of each and every one and examines the mind of the human race; whether the (healthy) care for the sick, whether relatives dutifully love kinsmen as they should … whether physicians do not desert the afflicted.”

Plagues ‘search’ us. They shine the searchlight into our hearts and reveal whether we are living in the fear of self-preservation or the freedom of the Spirit in self-giving sacrifice. And this Roman plague showed the Christians to be a Spirit-filled people, willing to follow the self-sacrificing example of their Savior.

Christian death rates were much lower than the rest of the population - (even though they were still 10 percent!). The Christian brothers and sisters caring for each other meant that those who provided the care had a higher risk of infection … but on the other hand, those who were infected had better survival rates. Once the plague had finished its deadly sweep, Christians were stronger … more of them survived, their churches were stronger, because they had grown closer in love through the sufferings they’d faced together. And they were stronger in number - because so many outsiders were moved by these Christians who didn’t run from danger ....

.... but ran to the needy in loving service. They cared for Christians AND non-Christians alike.

At the beginning of the earlier plague, Christians in the Empire numbered just under 1.2 million believers. After the second plague, by 300 AD - Christianity grew to around 6 MILLION believers. Massive growth … and plagues were a huge factor in that growth.

Christian death rates were much lower than the rest of the population - (even though they were still 10 percent!). The Christian brothers and sisters caring for each other meant that those who provided the care had a higher risk of infection … but on the other hand, those who were infected had better survival rates. As

Things are a little different for us, since in our crisis - the loving thing usually means staying away from others in self-isolation, rather than going to them, possibly carrying infection. So the specifics of HOW may be different, but the principle remains the same:

We, who are bought for Eternal joy at the cost of Jesus Christ’s own blood - - we will not be driven by fear in this crisis, or any other … but we will live in an upward-looking worship and an outward-looking love, driven by indestructible freedom and joy.

THREE ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION OR REFLECTION:

1 - Describe the differences between Elisha’s perspective and that of his servant, in vv. 8-17

2 - What was the key to transforming the servant’s point of view?

3 - Can you think of one way to live your faith in the week ahead, that steers clear of fear, on the one extreme and carelessness on the other?

END YOUR TIME IN PRAYER