GOD SAVES ELISHA FROM AN ARMY
MEMORY VERSE
Romans 8:31, ESV
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
DAY 1
2 Kings 6:1-7, NIrV
1 The group of the prophets said to Elisha, “Look. The place where we meet with you is too small for us. 2 We would like to go to the Jordan River. Each of us can get some wood there. We want to build a place there for us to meet.”
Elisha said, “Go.”
3 Then one of them said, “Won’t you please come with us?”
“I will,” Elisha replied. 4 And he went with them.
They went to the Jordan River. There they began to cut down trees. 5 One of them was cutting down a tree. The iron blade of his ax fell into the water. “Oh no, master!” he cried out. “This ax was borrowed!”
6 The man of God asked, “Where did the blade fall?” He showed Elisha the place. Then Elisha cut a stick and threw it there. That made the iron blade float. 7 “Take it out of the water,” he said. So the man reached out and took it.
BIBLE STUDY
In Elisha’s day, iron axes were rare and expensive. Since prophets were not rich, Elisha and his men had to borrow one from a neighbor. As one of the men swung to chop down a tree, the heavy iron head of the axe flew off its handle. As he watched it sink down into the Jordan River, I’m sure his heart sank as well. It’d be impossible to find it in the mud. And it would also be impossible to pay back the person he borrowed it from! Thankfully, Elisha the miracle-working prophet was with him. When Elisha tossed a stick in the water, God did the impossible and made the heavy axe head float!
+ Why did the prophets need to borrow an axe?
+ Would a stick normally make an iron axe head float? If not, what happened? (vs. 6)
DAY 2
2 Kings 6:8-10, NIrV
8 The king of Aram was at war with Israel. He talked things over with his officers. Then he said, “I’m going to set up my camp in a certain place.”
9 Elisha, the man of God, sent a message to the king of Israel. Elisha said, “Try to stay away from that place. Aram’s army is going to be down there.” 10 The king of Israel checked on the place the man of God had told him about. Time after time Elisha warned the king. So the king was on guard in those places.
BIBLE STUDY
When you are fighting a war, it’s important to keep your battle plans a closely-guarded secret. If the other side doesn’t know what you’re doing, your soldiers can catch the enemy by surprise and win the battle. But the king of the country of Syria had a terrible time keeping his plans a secret. Every place he attacked in Israel, the soldiers of God’s people were ready and waiting for him. That’s because the Israelite army had a secret weapon on their side. God gave Elisha the prophet the amazing ability to listen in on all of the king of Syria’s secret plans, even from miles and miles away!
+ What two countries were at war? (vs. 8)
+ Who was the “man of God?” (vs. 9)
DAY 3
2 Kings 6:11-14, NIrV
11 All of that made the king of Aram very angry. He sent for his officers. He said to them, “Tell me! Which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?”
12 “You are my king and master,” said one of his officers. “None of us is on Israel’s side. But Elisha is a prophet in Israel. He tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in your own bedroom.”
13 “Go and find out where he is,” the king ordered. “Then I can send my men and capture him.” The report came back. The officers said, “He’s in Dothan.” 14 Then the king sent horses and chariots and a strong army there. They went at night and surrounded the city.
BIBLE STUDY
After the Israelites kept figuring out his hidden plans, the king of Syria thought, “There must be a spy among my servants, sharing all my secrets!” But his servants knew the real truth. Someone was spying on them alright, but it wasn’t one of them. The spy was actually Elisha the prophet. And that man of God could somehow hear what happened in the king’s bedroom, even though he was safely back in his own bedroom in Israel! After hearing this, the king decided to put an end to all this nonsense. He gave an order to capture the pesky prophet. And he sent a whole army to get the job done!
+ Why did the king of Syria think one of his servants was spying on him?
+ What did the king send to go and capture Elisha? (vs. 14)
DAY 4
2 Kings 6:15-17, NIRV
15 The servant of the man of God got up the next morning. He went out early. He saw that an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my master!” the servant said. “What can we do?”
16 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
17 Elisha prayed, “Lord, open my servant’s eyes so that he can see.” Then the Lord opened his eyes. Elisha’s servant looked up and saw the hills. He saw that Elisha was surrounded by horses and chariots made of fire.
BIBLE STUDY
Imagine waking up, looking out the window, and seeing a huge enemy army surrounding your house. Now maybe you can understand why Elisha’s servant was shaking in his sandals! But Elisha wasn’t worried. “We have way more soldiers on our side than they do.” Was Elisha crazy? To the servant’s eyes, it looked like it was just the two of them against an army of hundreds or thousands! But the servant wasn’t seeing what Elisha saw. So the prophet asked God to open his servant’s eyes to see something invisible: an entire army of angels, horses, and chariots, glowing with heavenly fire!
+ Angels normally cannot be seen. Why could Elisha and his servant see them this time?
+ Who would win in a battle: the Syrian soldiers or the angel army? Why?
DAY 5
2 Kings 6:18-20, NIRV
18 Aram’s army came down toward Elisha. Then he prayed to the Lord, “Make these soldiers blind.” So the Lord made them blind, just as Elisha had prayed.
19 Elisha told them, “This isn’t the right road. This isn’t the right city. Follow me. I’ll lead you to the man you are looking for.” He led them to Samaria.
20 They entered the city. Then Elisha said, “Lord, open the eyes of these men. Help them see again.” Then the Lord opened their eyes. They looked around. And there they were, inside Samaria!
BIBLE STUDY
Perhaps you expected an epic fight between the Syrian soldiers and the angel army, with fiery swords swinging, fiery horses charging, and fiery arrows flying. But the battle was over with Elisha’s four little words: “Make these soldiers blind.” That instant, God stopped the eyes of the Syrians from seeing. With his enemy blind and confused, Elisha played a trick. “Follow me. I’ll take you where you want to go.” So the sightless Syrians followed Elisha’s voice... right into the middle of the Israelite city of Samaria. When their eyes were opened, the Syrian soldiers found themselves surrounded!
+ Why would it have been hard for the blind Syrians to fight the invisible angel army?
+ Who was the one responsible for winning the battle against the Syrians?
DAY 6
2 Kings 6:21-23, NIRV
21 The king of Israel saw them. So he asked Elisha, “Should I kill them? I need your advice. You are like a father to me. Should I kill them?”
22 “Don’t kill them,” he answered. “Would you kill people you have captured with your own sword or bow? Put some food and water in front of them. Then they can eat and drink. They can go back to their master.” 23 So the king of Israel prepared a great feast for them. After they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away. They returned to their master. So the groups of fighting men from Aram stopped attacking Israel’s territory.
BIBLE STUDY
What a strange turn of events it had been for these Syrian soldiers! That morning, they had Elisha’s house surrounded with an entire army, ready to grab the pesky prophet and drag him back to their king. And now they were in the middle of the Israelite city of Samaria. This time, they were the ones who were surrounded by their enemies! Without knowing it, they had blindly followed Elisha to their doom!
The Syrian soldiers were like sitting ducks. So the king of Israel asked Elisha, “Should we strike these Syrians down while we have the chance?” But Elisha told the king to do the complete opposite. Instead of finishing off these fighting men, they should feed them a feast of fine food!
And that’s what the king did. After the meal was done and everyone’s belly was stuffed full of bread, he sent the soldiers on their way back to Syria. This might have been the only battle in the history of the world that ended without a single soldier getting a scratch!
Even though his home had been surrounded by enemies ready to snatch him off to Syria, Elisha never worried, not even for a second. As a prophet of the Lord, he had the one true God on his side. And there was no army on earth that could defeat the mighty angel armies of the Lord! But did you know that, as believers of the good news of Jesus, we can be just as sure that God is on our side, too?
If you don’t believe it, find the book of Romans in your Bible, turn to chapter 8, and read verses 31 and 32. There, you’ll discover how you can know for sure that God is on our side. The apostle Paul reminds us what God has done: He was willing to let his only Son die a horrible death so we might be saved. Imagine how much God must have loved us to do something like that! If he was willing to give up his only Son, then there’s nothing he wouldn’t do to give us what he thinks is best.
Whenever we are afraid, like Elisha’s servant was when he looked outside that morning, we should remember that God is on our side. We can be certain that he will take care of us in the best way possible. No problem we face in our lives is as big and dangerous as the problem of our sin. And God took care of that by sending Jesus to save us! No matter what happens to us, even the worst thing in the world, we can be certain that God will bring us safely into his forever kingdom on a brand new heaven and earth. And every day with God will be the best day of our lives!
+ After the king of Israel let the Syrians go back home, what did they stop doing? (vs. 23)
+ What is a good thing to remember when we’re afraid or facing a big problem?
© 2023 Andrew Doane. All rights reserved.