God's Angel Army

I’ve always liked the prophet Elisha even though his mentor, Elijah, gets a lot more press.

Everyone knows the story of Elijah taking on the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18), and it was Elijah, along with Moses, who appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus (Matthew 17:1-3). I’m not saying that Elijah wasn’t an important figure in the history of Israel, because he was. However, personally I’ve always been drawn to Elisha for one simple reason – his calling.

Scripture tells us that Elijah found him out working in the field and threw his cloak around his shoulders which, oddly enough, was a sign that Elijah’s responsibilities as prophet would pass to him. Most of us would ask for a few days to think about it a career change like that, but not Elisha. He asked only to say goodbye to his family, and what a goodbye it was! He slaughtered his oxen, burnt his plow, and gave the meat to the people (1 Kings 19:19-21).

With this one act, he completely removed himself from his former life. There was no going back; he didn’t leave himself that option. Yes, this is why I like the Elisha! He models for us what a servant of God should be like. He was quick to obey, and he was also fearless even when he knew his enemies were coming for him:

When the king of Aram was at war with Israel, he would confer with his officers and say, “We will mobilize our forces at such and such a place.”

But immediately Elisha, the man of God, would warn the king of Israel, “Do not go near that place, for the Arameans are planning to mobilize their troops there.” So the king of Israel would send word to the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he would be on the alert there.

The king of Aram became very upset over this. He called his officers together and demanded, “Which of you is the traitor? Who has been informing the king of Israel of my plans?”

“It’s not us, my lord the king,” one of the officers replied. “Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in the privacy of your bedroom!”

“Go and find out where he is,” the king commanded, “so I can send troops to seize him.”

And the report came back: “Elisha is at Dothan.” So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city. (2 Kings 6:8-14)

Like a good spy novel, we are told that whenever the Arameans planned a border raid against Israel, the Lord would give Elisha the intel. Because of this, the king of Aram was sure there was a traitor in his camp. How else could Israel always be one step ahead of him! However, what the king failed to understand was that the little gods he put his trust in were blind. As the psalmist wrote, “But their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see.” (Psalm 115:4-5)

One of the king’s officers, though, knew the reason for Israel’s success, and he informed the king that the prophet Elisha knew every thought the king had. Well, the king was delighted to receive his own bit of intelligence. Now all he had to do was eliminate Elisha, and his problem would be solved or so he thought.

What the king failed to understand was that Elisha was not acting alone. Elisha worshiped the one true God who is all knowing and all seeing: “The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.” (Proverbs 15:3)

The trap was set. The city was surrounded, yet there was no fear in Elisha because he knew who was in control. However, there was another in his house who wasn’t quite so sure.

When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha.

“Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire. (2 Kings 6: 15-17)

Elisha didn’t trouble himself about the army; his first concern was for his frightened servant. He knew if the young man was going to serve God, he was going to have to learn to trust even when difficulties and dangerous situations arose. Thus, Elisha prayed for God to open the servant’s eyes so that he could see.

What a powerful moment this was! The servant was no longer afraid when he saw God’s mighty army on the hillside, which is something for us to contemplate. In his commentary, Matthew Henry wrote, “The opening of our eyes will be the silencing of our fears. In the dark we are most apt to be frightened. The clearer sight we have of the sovereignty and power of heaven, the less we shall fear the calamities of this earth.”

I don’t have to tell you that we live in a world full of calamities, and fear can take you prisoner even though you know God’s words: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

A powerful promise, indeed; yet, as Henry wrote, “in the dark we are most apt to be frightened,” which is what happened to me recently. You see, Kenny had another seizure and for ten minutes I was gripped by sheer panic as I waited for him to come through it.

There is nothing you can do but wait for it to pass, which thankfully it did. The thing is, though, you never know when one is going to occur, and so the next night neither one of us wanted to go to sleep because we didn’t know what the night would bring.

When we finally gave into exhaustion and crawled into bed, fear surrounded me. What would happen if Kenny had another seizure? What would I do? How could I cope?

While I say I want to live like Elisha and be fearless, where was my faith that night? I felt as though I was made of wax and had melted into a big puddle of nothing. I was like the father who said to Jesus, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

Satan was having a field day with me, and as I laid there, all I could see was darkness. However, just as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego found they were not alone in the fire (Daniel 3:25), I too was not alone. The Holy Spirit was there and brought to mind the lyrics of a song that I have been listening to recently:

When fear like a viper strikes and worry starts to creep

I know that ain't my Father's voice, it could only be

That liar in my ear trying to make me believe

So I'm calling him out in the name of the Lord

Listen when I speak (Get Behind Me by Emerson Day)

In that moment, I said out loud, “Lord, even if Kenny has another seizure, you are with us.”

And like Elisha’s servant, the Spirit opened the eyes of my heart to see the angel army that was surrounding us. The darkness receded as my faith was rekindled.

As the days have passed, I have come to see that this is a daily choice, because odds are, Kenny will have another seizure. Satan wants me to live in fear of that, and so I have a decision to make: Will I believe God or not? It really is that simple. Will I believe his promise to never leave me or forsake me (Deuteronomy 31:6), or will I listen to Satan’s lies?

I’m not always going to get it right, but I am now praying for God to open my eyes each day to the reality of his presence. To know and remember that I can give all my worries to him because he cares for me (1 Peter 5:7).

I’m also praying for you, dear friends. If you find yourself surrounded by the darkness of the enemy, I pray that you will call on the name of the Lord and ask him to show you his angel army.

He is there!

Amen, and so be it!  Lisa

Discussion Questions

How does Elisha's immediate response to God's call challenge your understanding of obedience?

How might you open your spiritual eyes to see God's divine protection in your life?

Do you think it’s a sin to worry?