Read: 2 Kings 6:1-7:20; Acts 15:36-16:
The king of Syria was stumped because Israel was always one step ahead of him. When he asked his men who the spy was, his men assured him that it was Elisha who told the king of Israel everything their king talked about in his bedroom. The king of Syria was now out to find Elisha and kill him. He found out that Elisha was in Dothan so he sent a huge army to fetch him. When Gehazi woke up that morning and saw them he ran and told Elisha. Elisha wasn’t worried, he prayed that God would open Gehazi’s spiritual eyes to see the huge army of God that surrounded Syria’s army. Elisha prayed for blindness for the army of Syria and then they led them to the middle of Samaria and had their eyes opened. They were in the middle of their enemies city surrounded by Israel’s army. Elisha told the king of Israel to make them a feast and send them home.
This band of soldiers never came back but the king of Syria gathered the rest of his army came back and sieged Samaria just as God had said they would.
When the siege became so severe that women were eating their own children, the king humbled himself in sackcloth, but instead of crying out to the Lord, he wanted to blame Elisha and kill him. Elisha knew he was coming and told his messengers that by tomorrow they would have flour and barley in abundance. One of the king’s men gave a sarcastic answer so Elisha told him he would see it but not be able to eat any. The next day a group of lepers went to the Syrian camp and found it empty and totally furnished with goods. God had scared them away. The lepers hid enough for themselves then ran and told the king. Samaria’s people plundered the camp but the man who didn’t believe was trampled under their feet. Everything that Elisha said would happen happened.
The army of God that Elisha and Gehazi saw is still available to us today. It encamps around us and delivers us. We can command it to fight for us just as Elisha did.
In Acts, Paul encounters the ups and downs of ministry. They had a vision of a man in Macedonia asking them to come and help. They went and many were saved. When Paul and Silas cast the spirit of divination out of a girl and cost her master monetarily, Paul and Silas received a beating and were thrown into the inner part of the jail. The leaders of Macedonia must have heard about what happened the last time Paul was thrown in jail because this time they put them in the inner part of the jail. At midnight, as Paul and Silas were praising God, God caused a great earthquake that shook everyone’s chains off and opened all the doors of the prison. When they didn’t escape, the prison ward fell on his knees and he was saved. By the time they were released from jail, God had saved the man’s household and God got great glory.
Lord, help us to see with our spiritual eyes what you are doing and never be afraid.
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