The Lord’s Army

2 Kings 6:8-23

Elijah vs the Arameans

CIT: Elisha Traps and Blinds Arameans

CIS: God will fight for his people

SO: The hearer will trust in the Lord to fight big battles.

Follow along at d1.church/notes.

Intro: The Lord’s Army.

As I read through the Bible annually, I am consistently surprised by how it helps me understand God more deeply. The World will tell you, and some Christians will, that God is a murderer and mean God and his people are too. Many of the most significant victories in the Bible were not won by warlords or even Israel, but through God intervening in the circumstances. God is a just judge and will always do the right thing. 

This series of sermons is designed to show you how God loves you and is always fighting for you. There is a saying that more is caught than taught. This is true with this principle. So many establishments and world constructs have let us down; it is challenging to maintain a belief that God is not always bringing good to our lives. When we begin to shift our view of God to how we would judge our boss or family member, we cheapen God’s sovereignty and lower him to man-level. I hope this series helps put God in the proper place in your life.

Let’s get into the Word of God.

1. The Lord’s Army (2 Kings 6:8-17)

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.” The man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Beware of passing that place, because the Arameans are going down there.” 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. 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?” “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.” “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.” Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city. 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. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 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.

EXP: Elisha, the prophet of God, performed many miracles, as noted in 2 Kings. In this portion of 2 Kings, some of his 14 documented miracles are told in a row. The Kings of Israel trusted Elisha, and here we find him sharing prior knowledge of the enemy's movements to protect Israel from attack. This upset the King of Aram, and he thought he had a traitor inside his camp. He was told that he did not have a traitor, but God, through Elisha, was revealing their intentions to Israel’s King. The King of Aram decides to focus on killing Elisha and sends horses, chariots, and many men to capture him. The next morning, Elisha’s servant gets up and sees that the Arameans surround them. He runs and tells Elisha, and Elisha informs him of what we are trying to get across to you. That God has his army surrounding those who mean them harm.

ILL: A Gallup Study says that 74% of Americans believe in God. At the same time, only 58% believe in the devil or satan. Barna says that only 40% of Christians believe Satan is an actual being; they tend to think that he is just an idea or representation of evil. 

These numbers affect how we walk out our Christianity. Do we have clear eyes? If you do not believe in God, then you will not see him. If you think the enemy is not real, then you will not see the spiritual battle and will try to rely on your own thoughts. 

ILL: When I was in the 3rd grade, my brother took my bike and left me with his 3-speed bike. I could not operate the hand brakes and the pedals at the same time. I was too small for his bike. When I was chasing after him, I came out of the alley and went headfirst into a Dodge Ram truck. I crushed that bike into the front fender of the moving truck. I flew about 15 feet before I landed based on where I was on the ground. I was rushed to the hospital via ambulance, and when I got there, I was sent home within an hour or 2 because other than a fractured collarbone, I was good. Why did I live? My answer: God had an army of angels watching over me. 

I was once in a car accident where the road was so busy that I could not swerve or move to avoid hitting a parked car in front of me. I remember looking for a way out, and there was not one. I went straight into the car. The car then moved across 3 lanes of traffic for a few hundred feet before crashing into a tree on the sidewalk side of the street. I have no idea how my car or the car I hit did not cause a multi-vehicle accident. My answer: God had an army of angels watching over me. 

My mother was driving down a dark country road when she hit a cow. The cow rolled over the front of her car and ripped the roof off the car. She got out, scared but unharmed. How does that happen? My answer: God has an army of angels watching over her. 

APP: My experiences and stories like this give me the faith of Elisha, eyes to see that there are more for us, than those that would come against us. The servant did not see it. He is afraid and on alert. He is dealing with physical, not spiritual facts.

T.S.: Elisha had confidence in the Lord’s Army. The servant needed to have his eyes opened to God’s provision.

2. Deliverance (2 Kings 6:18-20)

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. 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. 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.

EXP: After revealing the Army to the servant, Elisha then prayed for the Lord to move against them. He asked God to strike them with blindness. God did, and then he went out to visit with them. He told them they were in the wrong place and he would take them to the man they were looking for. (A lie?)

ILL: This Story shows the importance of vision. What the servant sees is one thing, what Elisha sees is another. When the servant's eyes are opened, it is different from when they are closed. When the army can see, they are effective; blinded, they must rely on the word of another. 

We were watching a movie not too long ago about California fires in 2018, where 25 kids on a school bus were caught in the fire, and a bus driver and teacher had to navigate through darkness and smoke for hours trying to get them to safety. At one point, the teacher left the bus to get some water. As she walked a few feet away, she could no longer see the bus, and they could no longer see her. They encountered looters and dangers without communication with others all along the way. We were watching it as a family, and when the bus finally emerged from the threat and the smoke, we all had the same reaction. Because it was clear as day, we just assumed this was all taking place at night. But the smoke and darkness clouded our vision. It was wild, the contrast between dark and night. The mood immediately changed when they could see the sun.

APP: Jesus is the light. When we keep our eyes open and on him, we can see God’s actions clearly. God uses blindness in this story to show the importance of clear eyes. 

T. S.: God blinds the enemy and delivers Elisha from assured destruction. 

3 Mercy (2 Kings 6:20-22)

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. When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, “Shall I kill them, my father? Shall I kill them?” “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.” 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.

EXP: Elisha walks the men back to his King and turns them over to him. The King wants to know what he is supposed to do. The answer was to feed them and send them away defeated. 

ILL: When we began this series, we talked about learning who God is through his actions toward his people and others. That many would tell you the Old Testament God was murderous and vengeful. One of the goals of these stories is to teach you that God is waging a war on our behalf, yet he is still a God of Mercy and grace. His judgments are true, and his character is intact. In this story, we learn that God protects us by ensuring we never have to fight. He has given the king strategies to avoid the Arameans, and even when the enemy tries to attack Elisha, God still shows mercy to the aggressor.

ILL: One day, I walked into church on a Sunday in our previous assignment. When I got there, I was met by one pastor who told me that a church member who was working in the kitchen preparing a meal as he and his family did on big days, came to the office and yelled at the people in there about missing some things that should be in the kitchen. Another Pastor went to check for items and got an earful all the way back. This family is great servants of God and has been in the kitchen ministry for years. I was over facilities, so as soon as I walked in, they all brought this to me. This was out of character for this individual, but totally believable. I went to talk to him and solve a couple of his problems, but I went a little differently. See, I considered that his mother had died recently and that this was his first time back in church since. He was hurting and in pain; he needed somewhere to lash out. I talked with him, listened to him, and put myself between him and the rest of the staff for a day. He didn't say much more that day, but Mercy was the correct answer. 

APP: We have gone through some trials in our lives. We have personally faced some major schemes of the enemy. When these circumstances threaten us, our salvation is having clear eyes. That God will fight for us; we do not have to bear the burden of responding to each accusation or defending each tactic of the enemy; that we are to show mercy.

TS: If we remember, the fight is not ours.That God loves you and will fight for you.   Then a clear view of God and acting in mercy can bring about the end of the threat and real change.                                                                                                                                                                         

I want to pray for three groups today:

1. Some of you need to get a clear-eyed view of God.
2. I want to pray for you that you will see God’s Army and that there are more for you than against you.
3. Some of you need to stop taking things so personally. The enemy has its own issue. God will defend you.
4. I want to pray for you that you will show mercy and let God deliver you.
5. Some of you do not have the security of knowing that God is fighting for you. But today that can change. 
6. I pray today for salvation.