2 Kings 6:17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray you, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man… I. THE SYRIAN ARMY SURROUNDING ELISHA, A SYMBOL OF THE FORCES THAT HAVE EVER BEEN ARRAYED AGAINST THE TRUTH. The attack upon Elisha and his servant was very unfair, and the forces apparently very unequal — an armed host against two unarmed men! Let us notice — 1. That the foes were many — "a great host." It seemed out of all proportion, and altogether absurd; and the escape of the prophet and his servant seemed hopeless. 2. The foes were mighty — armed men with horses and chariots, presenting a very formidable and imposing appearance, and threatening to sweep all before them. 3. The foes were malignant, they had crept up stealthily under the cover of the night, and they intended to pounce upon the man of God, and arrest him with violence. They had been told that the prophet had been the cause of all their defeats, so they would feel very spiteful and vindictive, and would be anxious to capture the man they regarded as their greatest enemy. Here we have a symbol of the forces that have ever been arrayed against the truth. II. THE PROPHET ELISHA IN THE MIDST OF THE SYRIAN ARMY A TYPE OF EVERY TRUE DEFENDER OF THE TRUTH. Elisha was unarmed with carnal weapons; and he had not gone to Dothan to destroy men's lives, but to save them. He was not an enemy, but a friend to the true progress and best interests of men; and in his gentleness and harmlessness he is a model of every true, godly, and christly man. 1. Elisha was on the alert. He had not gone to Dothan to spend his time in idleness, for, early in the morning, he and his servant were on the move to prosecute their work and fulfil their mission. 2. Elisha was calm in the face of danger. His servant was greatly alarmed when he saw the armed host, and said, "Alas I my master, how shall we do?" But Elisha was calm, and said, "Fear not." He did not make flesh his arm, nor trust for deliverance upon what he could see with the eye of sense. He admitted human weakness, but he apprehended Divine strength. He put his trust in God, and so his mind was kept in perfect peace. 3. Elisha found refuge in prayer. Cod had already shown him that he had a great host on his side; and now he wishes that his servant may see the army too. III. THE HORSES AND CHARIOTS OF FIRE UPON THE MOUNTAIN, AN EMBLEM OF THE FORCES THAT ARE EVER BATTLING ON THE SIDE OF TRUTH. 1. They were invisible to mortal eyes. The prophet Elisha had the spiritual vision to discern them; but the servant could not see them till his spiritual vision was uncovered. The horses and chariots of fire, formidable and real as they were, were not palpable to human sight. 2. They were innumerable. The mountain was full of them. Elisha was completely surrounded by celestial warriors; the army from the sky was mustered and marshalled as if on the eve of a terrible battle. 3. They were invincible. Taking up their position in the mountains suggests the idea that they would be immovable and impregnable; and they seemed to be "of fire," and fire, we know, suggests the ideas of aggression and irresistibility. The horses and chariots of Syria in the valley would be as nothing compared with this great host of fire upon the mountains. (F. W. Brown.) Parallel Verses KJV: 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. |
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