I will make my camp here, said the king of Syria, but that’s a military secret!
But then, for some unknown reason, the children of Israel knew exactly where the Syrian camp would be. This happened more than once. Finally the king of Syria decided there must be a spy among his men. How else would those Israelites know his secret plans?
I’ll tell you how, said one of his servants. Elisha the prophet tells the king of Israel even what you say in your bedroom!
I’ll catch that Elisha, said the king, and he sent his soldiers with horses and chariots at night to surround the city of Dothan where Elisha was staying.
Elisha had a servant who got up early the next morning and came back looking scared. He had seen that the Syrian army had surrounded Dothan. He cried to Elisha in fear, Master, what shall we do?
Do not fear, said Elisha. There are more soldiers with us than with them. The servant might have argued, but he didn’t have time because Elisha began to pray—Lord, I pray, open my servant’s eyes that he may see!
Do you and I understand that it’s only by the eyes of faith that we can see the things that God has prepared for those who love and follow Him? His blessings are real indeed, but if you have not accepted God’s beloved Son Jesus as your Saviour, you do not have eyes of faith, and you will not see His mercies and blessings.
The Lord did open the servant’s eyes, and then he saw that the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha to protect him. God doesn’t tell us any more about the servant. Perhaps he believed and followed Elisha’s God, the only true God, or perhaps he didn’t.
Elisha prayed again—Lord, strike the Syrians with blindness. And immediately they could not see. Then Elisha said to the Syrians, This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me. And suddenly the man whom the king of Syria wanted to kill became their leader, all the way to Samaria and right inside that city of Israel. Then Elisha prayed—Lord, open the eyes of the Syrians that they may see, and they quickly discovered that they were now captives in Samaria.
It was a perfect chance for the king of Israel to wipe out the whole Syrian army, but he asked Elisha first—Shall I kill them? Shall I kill them? Now was his chance, and he was eager to get rid of this enemy!
Boys and girls and grown-ups, God is not waiting for a chance to punish you! He loves you and is waiting for you to come to Him as a poor sinner comes, feeling truly sorry for all your sins. His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, suffered and died for sinners like you and me. Will you kneel at His feet and tell Him how sorry you are for your sins and that you accept Him as your very own Saviour?
Elisha answered the king of Israel’s question. NO, don’t kill them! Give them bread and give them water, and let them go back to their master.
You and I have a faithful Creator God who gives you food and drink every day. Will you go back to Satan, your old master? Or will you gladly give yourself to God who loves you so much that He gave up His only Son to die for you? “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21).
Because of Elisha’s kindness to the Syrian army, they never came back into the land of Israel. What a wonderful lesson in how to treat your enemies! “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).
You may read this story in 2 Kings 6:8-23.
MEMORY VERSE: “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Acts 2:21
ML-12/18/2011