Gtcotr/ss080424
In the days of the prophet Elisha, about 850 years before Christ, there was a king of Israel named Jehoram. He was the son of wicked King Ahab and the evil seductress Jezebel. King Jehoram, also known as King Joram, was a wicked king. He did a little to abolish the worship of Baal which his parents had promoted in Israel, but he did nothing to promote the worship of the true and living God, Jehovah.
Even though King Jehoram was a bad king who died a prophetic death, (he died in the field which belonged to a man named Naboth, whom Jezebel murdered so she could give the vineyard to her pouting husband, King Ahab), yet God loved Israel so much he gave them a prophet to help guide them.
God never leaves His children without a witness or without His Word.
2 Kings 6 records the account of King Ben-Hadad of Syria making war against King Jehoram in his attempt to enslave Israel. However, each time the King of Syria laid out his plans to ambush the army of Israel, Elisha would warn King Jehoram. The warnings were exact as to the time and location. This didn’t just happen once or twice … it happened so many times that the King of Syria believed there was a spy in his war council.
Upon investigation the King of Syria discovered that the prophet Elisha was responsible for his defeats.
2 Kings 6 NKJV
8 ¶ Now the king of Syria was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants, saying, “My camp will be in such and such a place.”
9 And the man of God (the prophet Elisha) sent to the king of Israel, saying, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are coming down there.”
10 Then the king of Israel sent someone to the place of which the man of God had told him. Thus he warned him, and he was watchful there, not just once or twice.
11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?”
12 And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.”
You can imagine the frustration and the fear. The King of Syria wanted to capture the prophet Elisha and put an end to this madness. So the King of Syria found out that Elisha was in the town of Dothan. I have had the rare privilege of visiting Dothan a number of times. It has not been a safe place for tourists for a few decades however the Lord gave me some contacts with 4thgeneration Palestinian archaeologists some years ago who provided armed assistance and allowed me to film in and around this area. Dothan is also the location of the well where Joseph was kept until his brothers could sell him to a band of Ishmaelite traders. It is quite a beautiful Biblical site.
At any rate – a great number of Syrian soldiers surrounded the city of Dothan where the prophet Elisha and his servant were spending the night. Let’s read the story from the Bible. God does such a better job of telling the account than do I. After all, He was there and I wasn’t …
2 Kings 6 NKJV
14 Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city.
15 And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”
16 So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
17 And Elisha prayed, and said, “LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
You can read the rest of 2 Kings 6 to see how God led Elisha and on into chapter 7 to learn how the Syrians met their ultimate defeat. This passage contains so many wonderful and powerful principles which apply to our lives today.
The one point I’d like to make however, comes from the heart of this story. It is the fact that:
The greatest miracles may be the hidden ones happening all around us.
The servant of Elisha was in the middle of one of the greatest miracles that had ever happened to him. Yet all he saw was the enemy and all he felt was confusion. “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”
Little did he realize that God had already taken care of everything long before he ever woke up to realize there was a problem.
I know my Redeemer lives! I know He knows the end from the beginning. I know my enemies will never catch Him unprepared and never catch me unprotected. My prayer is that my eyes would be opened and that my faith would be strengthened so that I can see my Savior’s constant protection and His unlimited provision long before my enemies ever reach me.
The greatest miracles are the ones unseen by human eyes, untouched by human hands, unknown by human standards, yet happening all around us, all the time. The heavens are filled with angels on guard and you are being kept by the power and the purpose of almighty God. Every day the enemy is being thwarted and his plans laid to waste because of the covering you are under. You may never even be aware of your greatest miracles.
You are a walking work of God. The greatest hidden miracle is ‘Christ in you!’ It’s the miracle of salvation. You will never die. The anointing of the Holy Spirit and the resurrection power of Jesus Christ lives on the inside of you. You can be assured that God will never let you down and you will never see the righteous forsaken or his seed begging bread.
I pray your eyes are opened today to see that those who are with us are more than those who are against us. Leave Church today with faith in your heart and do not be afraid. Don’t let the devil torture you with fear. God had your problem taken care of long before you even knew it was there.
