Fear Not
Scripture reading: 2 Kings 6:8-23
2 Kings 6:16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
In summation of this passage of scripture we see Elisha, the Prophet of God; repeatedly warn Jehorum King of Israel of the sneak attack plans of Ben-Hadad King of Syria. Ben-Hadad suspects he has a spy in his camp. He is told by one of his servants that “Elisha…telleth the king of Israel the words that though speakest in thy bedchamber.” Ben-Hadad then sends spies to determine Elisha’s location and sends his army to surround Dothan to capture Elisha. Elisha’s young servant awakes early in the morning and panics in fear when he finds they are surrounded with chariots and horses. Elisha responds; “Fear not: for they that be with us aremore than they that be with them.” Elisha prays and asks the LORD to open the eyes of the young servant; and when he saw: the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. Elisha prays again and asked the LORD to cause blindness to fall upon the entire Syrian army. Elisha then leads this helpless army to the capital city of Samaria. There their eyes are opened only to find out they are all prisoners. King Jehorum asks Elisha if he should kill them. Elisha responds they are our prisoners and then commands to feed and to release them. The army returns to Ben-Hadan unharmed and no longer bothers Israel for many years to come.
What an astonishing account of what God does through the Prophet Elisha. I believe there are a few things we can learn from this Old Testament passage of scripture that might benefit us in the day in which we live.
To begin with, 2 Kings 6:15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?
2 Kings 6:16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
This young servant awakes to the sight of being surrounded by the enemy and cries out in panic and fear. I’m sure his emotions ran rampant and he really didn’t know what to do, or what was going to happen next. Many of us have found ourselves having similar emotions at some point or another in life. Perhaps it was a personal medical emergency or that of a loved one. Maybe even the death of a loved one or of a close friend. Perhaps a sudden job loss and the financial uncertainties it entails. We remember these times and dates because they have had an impact on us. The January 22, 1973 Roe v. Wade landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court which granted the federal right to an abortion is one such date. Over 63,000,000+ deaths have occurred since that fateful decision. This has deeply impacted us as individuals and our nation as a whole. The immense pain, suffering and consequences cannot be underestimated. Though we celebrate the June 24, 2022 U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade, which ended the federal right to an abortion; we still have much work that remains to be done. Born again believers and other prolife individuals must continue to stand for the preservation and protection of life at all stages. The difficulties of navigating within our current political climate have not lessened and daily challenges on multiple levels remain. Our Pregnancy and Resource Centers need us to stay engaged. Through all of this, we must not panic or give into fear though we are opposed by those who do not hold our values. Though man’s moral values have changed and are changing, God’s values have not and will never change. Malachi 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not;…We can rest in this knowledge and not allow our emotions to get the best of us!
The next thing I see is found in 2 Kings 6:16-17 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
Elisha could see by faith what the young servant could not see. When Elisha prays, the LORD answers; the servant sees the very host of heaven, the angels surrounding them. Though unknown to the Syrian army they were far outnumbered. We may not see the host of heaven, but they are surely there. If you know Jesus, you’re never alone nor outnumbered. May the Lord help us as believers to align our wills, minds and emotions to what he wants, thinks and feels. Just like Elisha prayed and asked the Lord to open his servant’s eyes, by faith we should also ask the Lord to open our eyes so that we may be able to know how we ought to respond to others who are struggling with life and death decisions.
Finally, I read in 2 Kings 6:18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
2 Kings 6:19 And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria.
2 Kings 6:20 And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.
2 Kings 6:21 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?
2 Kings 6:22 And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.
2 Kings 6:23 And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.
The Syrian army was smitten with blindness and led away by Elisha helpless only to discover when their eyes could see again they were actually prisoners. Elisha doesn’t punish or destroy them, instead he commands to feed and release them. There are many people today struggling with abortion decisions, addictions, marital problems, abuse, anxiety, fear and etc. Many are unable or unwilling to see what God can do for them. They are overtaken with spiritual blindness and held captive. We need to show Christ’s love to each person we seek to minister to. May God help each one of us to share the life saving and life changing gospel message with each person we come in contact with. Psalms 147:3 says, “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” Galatians 6:9-10 says, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” Dear LORD, help us to be faithful as we seek to serve you and others!
2 Kings 6:16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them
Submitted by Mr. Edwin Walter
Member of the Board, BFLW
First Baptist Church, New Lisbon, WI.