32 TWO MORE MIRACLES

The college mentioned here was likely at Gilgal, because that is the most recent identified location mentioned as 2 Kings 4:38 says ‘Elisha returned to Gilgal . . .” and it was near the Jordan. Probably wherever Elisha lived, as many as could of the sons of the prophets gathered to him for the advantage of his instructions, counsels, and prayers. Everyone would want to live near him and be with him. Even today, anyone who wants to be a teacher or Christian minister should seek the best senior teachers possible and learn all they can from them. So, as their number at Gilgal increased, they needed a larger facility. “. . . the place where we meet with you is too small for us.” Elisha’s miracles probably attracted many. Perhaps they increased the more now that Gehazi was removed and a more honest man was put in his place. The prophets were humble men and did not care to send for cedars, marble stones, and curious decorations, but only of getting every man a beam, to put together a plain structure. If we look for great things in the other world, we can be more easily content with common things in this. They were poor men who had no interest in seeking help from the ungodly King Joram or wicked Queen Jeebel. They did not apply to the government or only consult among themselves about the enlargement of their buildings. They sought counsel from God’s prophet. Good idea!

They were willing to leave their studies and work for themselves. Neither did they have their own tools, but must borrow of their neighbors. Yet we can learn from their industrious thinking that poverty is not an effective hinderance to prophecy. They were industrious men, willing to work, did not want to live like idle monks and only benefit from the labors of others. They just wanted Elisha to give them permission to work for themselves. The sons of the prophets must not be so occupied with learning as to make themselves unfit for action and, so much less, must they put themselves in such ease as to be averse to labour. He who must eat or die must work or starve. If we have to work for a living in order to continue in our ministry, then let’s be willing to work. They did this, Paul the Apostle did this, my preacher dad did and so have I temporarily from time to time over the years. In 2 Thessalonians 3:7-10 Paul wrote, “7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate. 10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: ‘The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.’” Let no man think honest employment is either a burden or a blemish. These men placed a great value and respect on Elisha. They would not go about building without his permission. It is good for us to question our own judgments and seek the advice of those who are wiser and more experienced. It is especially commendable in the sons of the prophets to take their “father” with them and work and serve with the permission of their superior. Good disciples always want to be under good discipline.

When one of them, accidentally threw off his axe-head into the water, he cries out with deep concern, “Oh no my lord! It was borrowed! Had the axe been his own, it would only have troubled him that he could not work any longer, but now, besides that, it troubles him that he cannot repay the owner, to whom he ought not only to be fair, but also grateful. Even here there is a lesson. We ought to be as careful of what we borrow as we are of what is our own, that it receives no damage, because we must love our neighbor as ourselves and do to them as we want others to do to us.

This prophet was poor, with no axe or money to buy one and now he owed his neighbor for one. In this difficult situation let us watch what God does to take care of him. Elisha was humble and compassionate. He went with the sons of the prophets to the woods when they wanted his company. Lord help us to have this same attitude. And he was a man of great power in prayer. He, by prayer, he could make iron swim contrary to its nature, for the God of nature is not tied or limited to its laws. It was God, of course, that caused the axe head to float, not Elisha, but it was Elisha who prayed. God’s grace can raise a stony iron heart which has sunk into the mud of this world, and raise up naturally earthly affections to things above. We pray to and serve the God of Elisha. Let us seek to be men and women of prayer and miracles!

2. 2 Kings 6 8-23  8 Now the king of Aram was at war with Israel. After conferring with his officers, he said, “I will set up my camp in such and such a place.” 9 The man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Beware of passing that place, because the Arameans are going down there.” 10 So the king of Israel checked on the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places. 11 This enraged the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded of them, “Tell me! Which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?” 12 “None of us, my lord the king,” said one of his officers, “but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.” 13 “Go, find out where he is,” the king ordered, “so I can send men and capture him.” The report came back: “He is in Dothan.” 14 Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city. 15 When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked. 16 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 18 As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike this army with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked. 19 Elisha told them, “This is not the road and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you are looking for.” And he led them to Samaria. 20 After they entered the city, Elisha said, “Lord, open the eyes of these men so they can see.” Then the Lord opened their eyes and they looked, and there they were, inside Samaria. 21 When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, “Shall I kill them, my father? Shall I kill them?” 22 “Do not kill them,” he answered. “Would you kill those you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink and then go back to their master.” 23 So he prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master. So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel’s territory.

In this next part of Elisha’s story, with his spirit of prophecy, he is serving the king, and, as before helping the sons of the prophets. He used what gifts he had to benefit others. Our gifts qualify and obligate us to serve the wise and unwise. The king of Israel was informed by Elisha of all the designs and motions of his enemy, the king of Aram. Surely this would have been more effective than the most vigilant and faithful of spies. If the king of Aram, in a secret council of war, determined a certain place to invade Israel, where he thought it would be the greatest surprise and they would be least able to make resistance, before his forces could receive his orders the king of Israel had word of it from Elisha.

The enemies of Israel seem to always be aggressive in their devices and restless in their attempts against her, whether thousands of years ago or today in contemporary events. All those devices are known to God, even those that are laid the deepest. He knows not only what men do, but what they design, and has many ways of opposing them. In our case as Christian soldiers, it is a great advantage to us to be warned of our danger, that we may stand our guard against it. The work of God’s prophets is to give us warning. If being warned we do not save ourselves, it is our own fault, and our blood will be on our own heads. The king of Israel regarded the warnings Elisha gave him of his danger by the Arameans, but not the warnings he gave him of his danger by his sins. Such warnings are little heeded by many, yet they are the most important warnings as they can save from hell not just from death.

The king of Aram resented Elisha’s help and suspected treachery among his military leaders. But one of his servants who had heard by Naaman and others, of Elisha’s wondrous works, guessed that it was Elisha that gave this information to the king of Israel. Here is a confession, even by Israel’s enemy, of the boundless knowledge, as before of the boundless power, of Israel’s God. Friend, know this: nothing done, said, or thought, by any person, in any place, at any time, is beyond God’s knowledge. The king of Aram found out Elisha was at Dothan which was not far from Samaria; so he sent a great host, who were to come against him at night, and bring him in dead or alive.

Perhaps he had heard that when only one captain and his fifty men were sent to take Elijah they were stopped by fire and therefore he sent an army against Elisha, as if the fire from heaven that consumed fifty men could not as easily consume 50,000. Naaman could tell him that Elisha did not live in any strong-hold, was not watched by any guards, nor was he afraid so that he needed to fear any uprising or army. So what was the need for this great force? The king of Aram hoped to make sure of him, especially by coming for him by surprise. Foolish man! Did he believe that Elisha had informed the king of Israel of his secret counsels or not? If not, what quarrel did he have with him? If he did, could he be so weak as to imagine that Elisha would not know in advance any attack planned against himself? And if God could tell him about them, would he not also be able to defeat them? Those who fight against God, His people, and prophet, do not know know what they are trying to do.

The prophet’s servant was in a grievous fright. He had gone out early in the morning and saw that an army of horses, chariots and soldiers had surrounded the city. He ran straight to Elisha, to inform him of the danger and then exclaimed, “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” We are undone, it will do no good to think either of fighting or fleeing, as we will unavoidably fall into their hands.” Had he only studied David’s Psalms, he would have know from Psalm 3:6 and Psalm 27:3, “I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.” “Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.” If he had only said, What shall I do? it would have been understandable to have reacted as the disciples did in the storm, “Lord, save us, we perish,” but he did not need to include his master as being in distress, by saying, What shall we do?

So his master quieted him with a word of truth and said, as recorded in verse 16, “Don’t be afraid . . . .  Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” This was as though to say, “Don’t be afraid with that fear which has torment and amazement, for those that are with us, to protect us, are more than those that are against us, to destroy us—angels unspeakably more numerous and God infinitely more powerful.” When we are magnifying the causes of our fear, instead we ought to focus our attention on God with clear, great, and high thoughts of Him and the invisible world. Also remember that good men want, not only to be easy themselves, but also to have those around them calm and confident as well. This servant had recently come into Elisha’s service. He did not have the advantage of experience. So his new master wants to give him convincing evidence of that all-power which employed him and was therefore employed for him. The lesson? Those whose faith is strong ought carefully to consider, comfort and encourage those who are weak and timid, and do what they can to strengthen their hands. He saw himself safe, and wished no more than that his servant might also see what he saw, a guard of angels round about him.

Elisha, you will recall, had seen chariots and horses of fire. He was confident, but now was concerned that his new servant should also be confident. As some angels are God’s messengers, so others are His soldiers, His hosts, His legions, or regiments all for the good of His people. All his servant needed was for his eyes to be opened to the invisible yet very real army that was on their side. The eyes of his body were open, and with them he saw the danger. Now he needed his spiritual eyes opened so he could know that what he thought was a danger was no match for the spiritual army. “Lord, open the eyes of his faith, that with them he may see the protection you have placed over us.” The greatest kindness we can do for those who are fearful and faint-hearted is to pray for them. Furthermore, the opening of our eyes too will be the silencing of our fears. In the dark we are most apt to be frightened. The clearer sight we have of the sovereignty and power of heaven the less we will fear the calamities of this earth.

Now let’s turn our attention to the amazing defeat Elisha gave to the host of Arameans who came to seize him. They thought to make a captive of him, but he made fools of them, perfectly played with them; so far was he from fearing any damage by them. He prayed to God to smite them with blindness, and they were all struck blind immediately, evidently not stone-blind, because they could still follow Elisha when he told them to. They were so confused that they willingly followed the voice of the man who told them this was not the place they need to be nor is this the man they need to take.

See the power of God over the minds and understanding of men, in two different ways; he enlightened the eyes of Elisha’s friend, and darkened the eyes of his foes. Does this remind you of what Jesus said when he opened the eyes of a blind man and confronted the seeing who were spiritually blind? Jesus said in John 9:39, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” Oh that God would open our eyes, and the eyes of those around us, so that we could see the permanent, eternal, and spiritual realities as clearly as we see the temporary, passing, physical realities in which we live.

When the Aramean army was blinded, bewildered and confused, Elisha led them to Samaria promising that he would show them the man they were looking for. He did not lie to them when he told them, This is not the way, nor is this the city; for he had now come out of the city; and if they would see him, they must go to another city to which he would direct them. Those who fight against God and His prophets deceive themselves, and are justly given up to delusions. Then, when he had brought them to Samaria, he prayed to God to open their eyes and restore to them their memories that they might see where they were. When this happened, to their fright and amazement,  there they were in Samaria where possibly a large army of Israelite soldiers surrounded them. In a similar way, the enemies of God and His church, when they feel themselves ready to triumph, will find themselves conquered and defeated.

The king of Israel, though an ungodly man, now respectfully enough addressed Elisha as “Father” and asks if he should kill them all. But the prophet would by no means allow him to disturb them; they were brought there to be convinced and shamed, not to be killed. Verse 22 says, “‘Do not kill them,’ he answered. ‘Would you kill those you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink and then go back to their master.'” Had they been the king’s prisoners, taken captive by his sword and bow, it would have been highly immoral to harm them. It is against the laws of arms to kill war prisoners in cold blood. But they were not his prisoners; they were God’s prisoners and the prophet’s, and therefore the king must do them no harm.

Elisha took care to provide for them ordering the king to treat them well and then dismiss them fairly, which he did. It was to the king’s praise that he was so obedient to the prophet, contrary to his inclination, and, as it seemed, to his interest. Yet, he was so willing to cooperate with Elisha that, even though he was ordered only to set food and water before them, he prepared “a great feast” for them, for the credit of his court, country and Elisha. He cooperated with Elisha’s idea of killing them with kindness. Just looking at the finances and economical issues involved, it would have been much less expensive to provide a feast for them than to have raised and equipped an army to fight them. It was to the prophet’s credit that he was so generous to his enemies even though they came to capture him.

They probably could not help but to go away admiring him, as possibly the mightiest and kindest man they ever met. The great duty of loving enemies, and doing good to those that hate us, was commanded in Proverbs 25:21, 22 “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you,” and Exodus 23:4,5, “If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help them with it.” Elisha’s predecessor, Elijah, had given a sample of divine justice when he called down fire on the heads of his persecutors to consume them, but Elisha preferred to display the divine mercy of heaping coals of fire on the heads of his persecutors to melt them. Let us not be overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. 

The miracles of the axe head floating and the deliverance from the army of Aram were quite different from each other, but each was appropriate given the situation. What miracle do you need?