Title Lord, Open Your Eyes!
2 Kings 6:14-23 Lord, open your eyes! Subject: 16. Miracle 2005. 8. 7.
◎ Introduction
: God's ability to care for Israel is the power of God who protects from the enemy through Elisha's public ministry.
show the providence
※ The king of Syria tried to capture Elisha as he repeatedly failed to attack because of Elisha, who knew about their plans in advance.
They send soldiers, but they are captured by Elisha.
1. Background
One). Elisha forewarned and fortified the plans of the Syrian army (8-10)
※ At that time, the Aramaic forces were strong, and the Syrians attacked Israel from time to time, and God gave Elisha the plan in advance whenever the Syrian army was about to invade, so that Israel could defend itself.
2). The king of Syria sends an army to capture Elisha (11-14)
※ The king of Aram asks his servants to see if this can happen if someone does not communicate with the enemy after his invasion plans fail frequently.
※ After hearing about Elisha from his servants, the king of Syria sends many soldiers to capture Elisha in Dothan.
(It was the recklessness of the king of Syria who did not know the power of God.)
2. Show the servant God's army (15-17)
※ In order to capture Elisha, many Syrian soldiers surrounded Dothan.
One). The servant is surprised and reports to the prophet Elisha (15).
※ “Ah, my lord, what can I do?” They did not know why the Syrian army was besieging their city.
Elisha's servant was greatly astonished.
2). Elisha said, “Do not be afraid. Those who are with us are more than our enemies” (16)
※ The servant cannot see, but the prophet sees.
3). Elisha's Prayer (17)
① “Open my eyes to see”
; Pray for the trembling servant to see the soldiers of God when he sees the enemies.
② “The Lord opened the servant’s eyes”
: The power of God has been revealed.
③ “Look at the low price”
: It is the grace of God that we can see.
④ “The mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”
; It symbolizes the fact that God protects his people by the presence of power.
※ No power in the world can defeat them (fire horses and fire chariots).
(Psalm 34:7, 68:17, Luke 2:13, Hebrews 1:14)
3. The Arameans who had been brought to Samaria were sent back in peace (18-23)
※ The Syrian army is approaching Elisha.
One). Elisha's second prayer (18-19)
① “I pray that they will blind the eyes of that crowd.”
: Notice that I prayed that their eyes would be blinded, not that they would be destroyed by horses and chariots of fire.
- He wants to preserve not only himself but also the lives of the Aramaean soldiers.
- I wanted to show the power of God on this occasion.
② “He darkened his eyes”
; God's power was revealed.
③ “Follow me”
; Thousands of soldiers who came to arrest Elisha were rather led by Elisha and brought to Samaria.
2). Elisha's third prayer (20)
① “Open the eyes of this crowd so they can see”
: Open your eyes again in a situation where you are completely surrounded by the Israeli army.
② “He opened our eyes”
: God's power
③ “We saw”
: He was in the midst of Samaria. They died without moving.
3). King of Israel (21-23)
① “My father, shall I rule or shall I rule?”
; Elisha did not understand the purpose of leading the soldiers into the city.
- The thinking of the king of Israel, who had no spiritual discernment, was not much different from that of the king of Syria.
② “Don’t hit me”
: By the power of God, it is not possible to do this to the captives, ‘how shall we deal with those who took captives with swords and bows?’
③ “Put bread and water before him so that he may eat and drink, and return to his master.”
: It shows the mercy of God.
④ “They ate and drank and let them go”
: ‘He returned to his master’ It shows the power and mercy of God.
※ From this point on, the armies of the Arameans did not enter the land of Israel again.
※ Through the miraculous event, the people of Israel must have come to a new realization of God's power and God's mercy.