The NIV translates hills but that s inaccurate, the Hebrew has a singular.

Transcription

1 2 Kings 6:8-23 Dear children of God, brothers and sisters in Christ, and guests, Thanksgiving has us celebrate God s providence. Providence the LORD provides. At the beginning of the season we prayed the LORD to bless our labour, to bless the crops, to bless our lives. Now, as the harvest is more or less gathered in and as the winter storms begin we want to give thanks to God for His blessings and for His care. Blessings usually we think of material prosperity when we hear that term in relation to Thanksgiving. But the season hasn t been all that great. We ve experienced drought and fires. Grocery prices are rising. There s been an economic downturn as the price of oil plunged. Okay, it does mean gas at the pump is cheaper. Still, maybe you re noticing it in your work: there is a ripple effect that has now reached all corners of the economy. There s international tension on account of the Middle East. Scandals, be it in the Senate or the soccer world or among automakers, may shake our confidence in the systems of society. And especially following the summer we re seeing an increasing number of people in our congregation struggle with ill-health. Blessings. Materially we may not feel so blessed at all. So should we forego thanksgiving this year? Perish the thought! If we think this way, our consumerist context determines how we see God s providence. But life does not depend on material blessings. Let s reflect on what at bottom should make us thankful. It s Thanksgiving; and the Elisha sermon series brings us to our text this morning. I could have switched to another passage for the occasion but chose not to. For a key thought in this passage is God s Providence. Not in terms of material blessings unless you re thinking of the banquet the Israelite king gave to the Syrian army. I m sure the Syrian soldiers were thankful! But I mean of providence in terms of protection, of care. Our passage tells us how God is in control. How He is sufficiently powerful to avert dangers, and how He does so as He wills. This Thanksgiving let s appreciate and give thanks for how the LORD protects as danger threatens. We listen to God s Gospel this morning with this theme: In the face of danger God grants protection. We will consider three things. (1) God protects His own. (2) God protects His servant. (3) God protects the enemy. 1. God protects His own Our text is another account of something that happens in Elisha s life which leaves out names. In this account only the names of Elisha and the LORD are mentioned. The servant of Elisha is not named. Nor are the Syrian and Israelite kings. As we ve become accustomed to, the focus is especially on Elisha My God Saves and the LORD, Yahweh I am who I am, the ever-present one. By the way, not knowing who the kings were and recognizing that stories are not always told in chronological order, we can t even date the events of this account with 100% certainty. Yes, 2Kings 6:24 does mention that afterward Benhadad But during the life of Elisha there was more than one king Benhadad in Syria. The king of Syria was probably Benhadad II which would mean the king of Israel was Jehoram. But it is possible that the king of Syria was Benhadad III and the Israelite king was Joash. First we paint the scene. Between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River there is a mountain ridge. Between Mount Carmel and the Lake of Galilee there s a fertile valley, the Valley of Jezreel, splitting that mountain ridge, dividing the hill country of Ephraim from the hill country of Galilee. To the north of Israel is a yet higher mountain range the mountains of Lebanon. To the east of those high mountains we have Syria. Some Bibles, like the NIV, use the Hebrew name: Aram. So Syria is the nation that borders on the north-east of Israel, kind of across Lake Galilee. Now the Syrians and Israelites weren t on the best of terms. Formally there was a treaty between the two nations. Still, Syrians would at times go on raids into

2 Israel. Sometimes such a raid would flare up into almost a war. In view of the fact that the Syrians manage to penetrate all the way to Dothan suggests that the Syrians had a lot of clout. Formal treaties don t necessarily prevent hostilities. There s enough evidence of that in our world too: just think of Russia violating the airspace of other countries with its fighter jets. The raids by Syria are planned by the king. The king would send his spies into the land of Israel. They d come back and report where the crops were doing well, where wealth could be found. The king of Syria would then plan a raid. But when his troops sneak into Israel they are met by a formidable force. It s like the Israelites knew the Syrians were coming. This didn t happen just once or twice. If it had, it could be passed off as a fluke. No, it happened far more often, like all the time. The inspired historian explains that the man of God was behind this. The man of God in other words, it was God telling Elisha what was about to happen. Elisha would then tell the king of Israel what was about to happen. Beware that you do not pass this place. The reaction of the king would then be to send to the place. Just saying to send sounds odd in English. The NIV figures it means that the king would check on the place, i.e. send a spy there, and then avoid the area. While possible it could also mean the opposite. Beware that you do not pass this place can also be meant metaphorically: Beware that you do not overlook this place when it comes to protecting Israel. In response to Elisha s warning, the king would then send not a spy but his troops to that place, so that the Israelites there were protected. This would, of course, have been very frustrating to the king of Syria. He begins to wonder: Is there a traitor on my side? Is someone informing the king of Israel of my every move? Now realize, that s a loaded question to ask. Anyone accused of treason would immediately be put to death. That s assuming the king had sufficient support among his generals. The tables could also turn on him: asking the question could become a challenge, and the traitors might act fearing their game is soon up. A question like this isn t asked quickly! That said I wonder to whom the king put the question. The NIV translates officers, the ESV translates servants. Technically speaking army officers are servants of the king. But not all servants of the king are army officers It makes more sense for the king to put the question to his personal trusted servants rather than his army officers. Again, we can t say for sure. However, the seriousness of the accusation is realized by whomever the king is talking too, and that suggests personal servants rather than army officers. One of them explains: None, my lord the king. It s Elisha the Israelite prophet. He tells the king of Israel even what you say in the privacy of your bedroom! Elisha my God saves. The Syrians spoke Aramaic, not Hebrew. But in Aramaic it means the same. Elisha is further described as the prophet of Israel. A noteworthy title. A prophet is a person who brings the revelation of God to humans. The title prophet thus indicates that Elisha knows things because of his service to God, and the name Elisha indicates that the activity of Elisha s God is to save, is to rescue, is to protect. The king of Syria should now realize very clearly who he is up against. He s not dealing with treason. He is dealing with the God of Israel! This is the God who had defeated Baal during a show-down at Mount Carmel. He is dealing with one of the Israelite prophets, the successor to Elijah who could cause drought and rain, and call fire down from heaven. All the players in the story have learned at this stage: God protects His own. Elisha knew it. The king of Israel knew it. Even the king of Syria knew it. The Israelites might be a disobedient, even apostatizing covenant people, a people of God drifting away from God. But they are still the people of Yahweh, they are still known by God s Name. Hence God protects them. His people must understand the truth, the reality of Elisha s name: the God of Elisha saves. And not only God s people. Also the nations around Israel must understand that you don t mess with the God of Israel or with God s people. Through the protection and care God gives to His people God stakes His claim in the world. Further, God s treatment of Israel is a statement of His patience, is an example of His long suffering. The Israelites are given the chance to return to the Lord. Under King Ahab they had drifted away. They

3 had suffered for this. A time, times, and half a time 3.5 years of absolutely no rain. My God is Yahweh should have been the confession of Israel, and through Elijah things begin to turn around. Under the prophet Elisha there would seem to be a return to God. King Ahab called Elijah the troubler of Israel (1Kings 18:17). How different is the king of Israel in our text who called Elisha my father. There s something good in northern Israel and God, in His patience and forbearance, protects His own. He will not allow Satan to spoil this fragile reformation by disrupting the peace of Israel! That points us to the bigger picture Scripture presents. God did not allow Satan to destroy as Satan might like to destroy. This world, though it has fallen into sin, is safe in the hands of Almighty God. The activity of the forces that are against God are restricted by God. The plans of the evil one are foiled time and time again. Evil forces like Al Qaeda or Isis may cause fear and terror; we need not be concerned. Through Christ, not just a man of God but the very Son of God, this world enjoys protection. For the Kingdom of Christ will rule supreme. That, brothers and sisters, is a reason for giving thanks. We might not feel blessed. We may look around and feel alarmed by the things that are happening in our world. However, if we follow the instructions of Jesus the Christ, just as the king of Israel followed the instructions of Elisha the man of God, we may count on the protection of our God. Maybe this past season was not a Solomon season of abundant materials blessings. But we do continue to enjoy freedom in the face of rising anti-christian forces, both in our world and even within our society. One could say God is exercising patience with our nation, let s be grateful for His care. 2) God s protection extends itself in a special way to His servant. We ll consider that in the second place. When the Syrian king finds out the problem is caused by Elisha he figures he s got a solution too. This is how he sees things. There s a prophet with a direct line to the gods who can tell the king of Israel what the king of Syria is planning. The chain of communication is: the Syrian king says something which the gods hear, the gods tell Elisha, Elisha tells the king. The simplest way to break this chain is to make sure Elisha cannot speak with the Israelite king. Hence the plan is hatched to capture Elisha. The Syrian king sends spies to Israel and brings an armed force, probably his elite troops, into position. When he is informed where Elisha is, he immediately marches there. That s Dothan. Dothan was a small town maybe 200 metres in diameter built on top of a hill. The hill is circular, about 300 metres in diameter and rising roughly 50 metres above the valley. It compares somewhat to Little Mountain in Chilliwack the one on Old Yale Road. Mind you, Little Mountain is still twice as high and three times as long. Hieght wise, our church building is about 50 metres above the Sumas Prairie. The hill on which Dothan was built is surrounded by higher hills and mountains, especially to the north, east, and south. The Syrian army would have marched in from the north-east, thus hidden by the mountains and would have spread around Dothan on the ridges. It s a bit like an armed force coming up the Columbia Valley (where Cultus Lake is) and then spreading out over Vedder Mountain, the Promontory, Mount Cheam as well as Chilliwack Mountain. Dothan was truly surrounded. Boys and girls, no wonder the servant of Elisha is frightened. It s scary when the mountains around the town all have enemy soldiers on them. But Elisha sees more than the servant sees, and upon the prayer of Elisha, the servant s eyes are opened too. All around Elisha one finds the army of God. They are on the mountain : 1 that would be the mountain or hill on which Dothan is built. So picture the scene. There s a town on a hill, on the sides of that hill is the army of God, then there s a valley, and then there s the Syrian army on the hills around Dothan. There s no need for the Elisha or his servant to worry: God has sent His army to meet the army of Syria. And so when Elisha and his servant go down out of Dothan they first pass through the army of angels. 1 The NIV translates hills but that s inaccurate, the Hebrew has a singular.

4 It speaks for itself that these divine bodyguards would form a cordon around Elisha. That s how come Elisha and his servant would feel perfectly safe descending to the valley floor. Now the Syrian army doesn t see the army of God. The army just sees two men coming out of Dothan. And so they too come down the mountain to the valley floor. They want to know who these two men are. Elisha has a plan. He doesn t just rely on the angels to take care of things. He knows they can. But still, he takes action. He prays the LORD to blind the Syrians so that they don t recognize him or the place. The LORD does so, which Elisha may take as proof that God is good with his plan. Elisha then leads the Syrian army to Samaria, about 10 miles south of Dothan. So for around 3 hours the Syrian army infantry and chariots marches behind Elisha. They are led into Samaria. The city gate is shut. Elisha prays for the Syrians to have their eyes opened. The LORD opens their eyes. And the Syrians realize they ve been had! They ve been had good and proper. How humiliating! This is even worse than attempting a raid and finding out your plans were known. Humiliating: instead of the army catching Elisha, Elisha had caught the army! It s also scary. Boys and girls, those Syrian soldiers would have realized they might be killed, right there and then. The focus in this part of the event is very much on how God the LORD protects His servant. God s angelic army encamps around the prophet of the Lord. Just as Psalm 34 sings. God hears the prayers of Elisha and complies with his desires. The Lord allows Elisha to triumph. The kings of Syria and Israel are learning not to mess with the prophet of the LORD God Almighty. Thus all learn how the LORD is not just mighty, He is Almighty. And He is faithful. Those who trust in Him can rely on Him. We see the same kind of protection afforded to the Christ during His ministry on earth. When Jews of Jesus day saw how He lived, they would have realized that Jesus is in so many ways like Elisha. When the people of Nazareth want to throw Jesus of a cliff, Jesus walks right through the middle of the people. There were moments when the people wanted to stone Jesus. But it doesn t happen. Indeed, when Jesus is taken prisoner, He tells the disciples how He can call up legions of angels to protect Him. But because God had a different purpose, the Lord Jesus Christ didn t make use of the angels. He did prove His power over the mob that came to take Him captive: they fell down at his feet when He asked Who are you looking for? Jesus, the Son of God, was in control of the situation, as once Elisha, the man of God, had been in control of the situation. The prophet in action foreshadowed the Greatest Prophet in action. We too, who trust in God, may count on such protection from God. What we sang with Psalm 34 is as true for us as it was Elisha and his servant, or for Jesus the Christ. God s loyal people may count on the protection of the LORD. And didn t we experience that, also this past season? In spite of the challenges of life: material, health-wise, spiritual, the Lord is seeing us through. Let s be truly thankful for God s protection! 3) God s covenant people. God s loyal servant. In the third place we consider how God protects even the enemy. The Israelite king is all excited. Syrian troops, probably elite troops, are caught within the walls of Samaria. They re intimidated by the power of the mighty prophet. The king of Israel can have them executed. My father the Israelite king is polite for he owes Elisha his life many times over already Shall I kill? Shall I kill? Hear the excitement in the doubly repeated question. The answer is: no, you shall not kill. First of all, would the king of Israel kill solider whom he takes as prisoners of war? No, he would not. Prisoners of war would be put to work in a prison or so. They would not be put to death. So why change the practice now? Further, these Syrian soldiers aren t prisoners of the Israelite king but of the man of God. One might say: they are God s captives. So it is for God through the man of God to decide and indicate what is to be

5 done with them. What did God want done? Probably the last thing the king of Israel expected to hear. Give them a good meal and then let them go home. There s wisdom to this advice. The Syrians had learned they cannot interfere with the activities of Israel s God. The attempt to disrupt the communication from Israel s God to Israel s king by removing the prophet Elisha, the man of God, had failed. In fact, the man of God had proven so powerful that to the Syrians - he had singlehandedly brought the Syrian army to its knees. You don t mess with the God of Israel, you don t mess with His servant the prophet. There s also a lesson in this instruction for Israel. The Israelite king sought to secure his safety by destroying the threat of enemies. However, the Israelite king should not rely on his own measures for protection, but rely on God. If Israel walks in the ways of the LORD the nations round about her will not be a threat to her but subdued by her. Further, it was not yet Syria s time. Most of all, though, this instruction is evidence of how far God s mercy and patience extend. Centuries earlier God had said: If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden you shall rescue it. (Exodus 23:5) Centuries later Jesus the Christ would say, Love your enemy. (Matthew 5:44) God Himself practices what He commands. The Syrian soldiers, who had simply followed their king s instructions, were protected from an excited, blood-thirsty Israelite king. These Syrians had had an experience that would have gotten them thinking. It made enough of an impression for a ceasefire to take effect. God reveals His power and His mercy to the world. Reflect on that, brothers and sisters, reflect on how God deals with His enemies. In Romans 5 we read that we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son while we were enemies. While we were enemies. If God would only protect those who love Him, we would never have been saved. Indeed, no one would have been saved. But just as God offered protection to the murderer Cain at the beginning of time (Genesis 4:15), to the crafty Syrians in the days of Elisha, and to the citizens of Nineveh in the days of Jonah the prophet (Jonah 4:11), so the Lord still offers protection today as the Gospel goes out. God, in His mercy, may grant a stay of execution so as to provide an opportunity for repentance. Mind you, this doesn t mean that the stay of execution is permanent. The Lord says, Vengeance is mine, I will repay. (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19; Hebrews 10:30). It is for the Lord to decide how and when to punish those who thwart His plans, disobey His will, and persecute those who are His. In the face of danger God grants protection. That should encourage us to be thankful, to be thankful even if our experience has been that material blessings have not really come our way this season but that instead, life has been a struggle: health wise, work wise, income wise. The Lord has granted us protection. While many places in our world experience turmoil, we experience peace. While many places in our world lack even basic freedom, we re coming to the end of an election campaign. While many in our world aren t sure where tomorrow s food will come from, our freezers and pantries are stocked. There ll be a good Thanksgiving dinner today or tomorrow (or maybe it was yesterday already). And none of us is concerned that we ll be spending Christmas out on the street The care of God extends far and that in and of itself is already reason for gratitude. God protects us from the dangers we pose to each other. Do realize thought that only Christ can protect us from the coming wrath of God. That s why, while the opportunity still exists, we are to turn to God in faith and obedience. Do so if you have not already done so! Be thankful for God s kingdom and serve Him with reverence and awe. Amen.