UNSEEN REALITIES. 2nd Kings 6 In the teaching process, to follow chronological order is not always the best way to learn a lesson. Some subjects are best addressed in settings that are most suitable for the lesson to get maximum impact. The miracles the Lord performed through His servant, Elisha, covered a period of about fifty years. In the account of the axe-head that floated, the point of the incident is made for the benefit of those who are unbelievers. Is God interested in the small things that happen to us personally? Or are His concerns only with the life of a nation and the impact faith in Him has on the greatest number of people?
The event recorded between the healing of a general of an enemy army and the deliverance of the army of Israel reminds us that what happens to people who are insignificant in the eyes of people is not to God. He knows and cares for what happens to each individual who is engaged in the work to which he has been called. The same concern was in Elisha, the prophet of God.
The "sons of the prophets" were not the greatest bunch of people. They didn't take care of the needs of a widow of one of their group, even though it meant she would have to sell her sons as slaves. At least one of them was not aware of what was good and bad to eat, so he probably was not used to going out regularly to meet the needs of others. A third was not used to the physical labor needed to cut logs and lost his axe head. Elisha was there to use his wisdom and maturity in divine service to meet the needs of those who were incapable. His answer to the problem was to "cut" a stick and throw it into the water, and the axe-head floated. Someone else who knew how to use an ax was there.
We can get so absorbed in the things happening in the nation, major events around us, and the world in general that we forget the needs of individuals for whom we can meet needs. Some needs result from sickness, disasters, or other things beyond our control. When we don’t know what to do, pray to God in precise words about the problem we face, seek the counsel of someone more experienced than us, and act on his advice. “God can do anything but fail!” When we fail, we need someone to turn to who knows what is needed and how to do it.
Making a larger meeting place for the people of God to meet does not escape the interest of God. To borrow a tool from another person is not wrong, but it is to be expected that it will be returned in good shape when one has finished. It may seem like a small thing, but one's character is made evident if it is returned in as good or better condition than when it was borrowed. A broken tool that is brought back to the owner is a testimony that you are not as important to him as his own self-centered interest. Some will even lie to cover up their failure in some way.
The prophets needed a larger place. That was a good thing. They took steps to meet the need, and during that time, the axe head was lost in the river. That was a bad thing, particularly if it was caused by carelessness. It may have been an unfortunate problem if it was a surprise. In either case, "The borrower is servant to the lender," and it is up to the borrower to make restitution. To replace an item that would have been as scarce as an axe-head in that society in that day would have been very difficult. God knows the circumstances of every situation and can meet the needs according to His will. He chose to use His power to supersede the gravitational pull of nature, and that which could not happen actually took place. A testimony of trustworthiness was maintained. A man's faith in the God he served was strengthened. Elisha's calling as a prophet was affirmed. The people of God have been assured of God's interest in the small things of life all through the passing of generations.
When the knowledge gained by experience with God in a mature believer is acted upon, we can point to the problem and what caused it. When we lose something of importance—credibility, reputation, confidence, or anything of value—we should go back to where we lost it, identify why we lost it, and deal with the problem there. God's saving and sanctifying power of God has not diminished and He can do for us what no one else can when we act in faith upon God’s word.
A wise person will take to heart the lesson that when something becomes a little loose, it is time to stop what you are doing, tighten up that which you are in danger of losing, and make sure that you watch for signs of carelessness, looseness, or indifference that we had overlooked previously.
When we look around us at politics, lack of morality and integrity, and the religious world that ignores and demeans the word of God, we are in danger of becoming so pessimistic that we don’t progress spiritually the way we should. Believers who focus on the things of the world instead of the Lord Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God fall into the same patterns of behavior as those who are not Christians. That’s when we feel we have to fight and fight, and we cannot win against forces that can overpower our fleshly weakness.
When we get wrapped up in our physical and emotional reality, we get so full of ourselves that we lose our spiritual vision and leave no room for God to work in and through us. Life without God is generally without meaningful goals. When we live by faith, we get glimpses of the big picture of what God is doing and the eternal purposes that He wants to share with us.
Another lesson is that no matter what is happening in the world at large, our omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent Lord is aware of it all. Decisions made by people in secret, plans made in self-interest, attitudes held—even "the thoughts and intents of the heart"—are open before the Lord. The Syrian king could not get ahead with his invasion plans because of divine intervention on behalf of the people of God, even though they were not in obedience to Him.
The young man with Elisha only saw the horses and chariots of the Syrian army. Physical and material “realities” blinded him, so God allowed him to see what Elisha saw. He saw the might of the heavenly host protecting them. Elisha had prayed that God would open the young man’s eyes to unseen realities, and then he prayed that He would blind the eyes of the Aramean soldiers to all earthly realities.
Faith makes us conscious of the presence of God in every situation in life, whether good or bad. God's power is not limited, even if our spiritual eyesight is. On the occasions when difficulties seem impossible to overcome, we need to remember there is a greater strength available to us because "greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world." Those who are "heirs of salvation" obey His commandments and listen to His voice are ministered to by an "innumerable company of angels" who serve and care for us, even though we never see them. The eyes of Elisha's servant were opened to the unseen reality of the heavenly host that circled the city on the high ground with their horses and chariots of fire.
The same Lord who can open the eyes to see unseen realities can close the eyes of those who oppose Him to earthly realities. Blindness and defeat go together at times when people are in opposition to God. The Aramean army was blinded by the Lord and led into the center of the walled city of Samaria, where they were taken captive by the power of God. He can make an axe-head swim with assistance from one of His own servants. He can bring a whole army to surrender without "firing a shot." Whether a matter is great or small, He is the sovereign God who can do what He chooses and gives us the privilege of serving Him.
The Aramean army came to capture Elisha, so it wasn't a lie when he led them to where he could be found in the middle of the fortified city of Samaria. Rather, it was a trap in which the whole army was captured instead of them capturing Elisha. The power of the Lord made captives of the Syrian army, and by the grace of God, they were fed and sent home—defeated but not dead.
The Lord demonstrated to the Syrian soldiers, their king, the Israelites, and their king that He is in control of all things, great and small. It is His will that secured Israel’s safety, not military might or strategy that was designed by men. This is another lesson for us. Salvation and victory in the Christian life are “not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord.”
Our God can also bring a whole nation to its knees by shutting off its food supply. "The fullness of the earth" is His, and it is His choice whether the bounty beneath our feet is released or not. The actions of people under stress reveal what is in our hearts. When poverty and hunger strike, our faith in God is tested. Despite the ways God had miraculously worked on behalf of the nation, Joram still maintained his attitude of unrepentance and unbelief. Even when his people began behaving worse than animals, he blamed God and His servant Elisha for his sins and the consequences. In his anger against God, he tore his own clothes rather than in repentance for his sin and the sorrow sin brings. National sin calls for national repentance. That calls for those who lead to humble themselves in repentance and turn to God. Then, the citizens will be inclined to follow their lead.
Apparently, Jehoram was about to surrender to the Syrians rather than bow to God. His blindness to heavenly and spiritual realities was never lifted because his faith was only in himself and the false gods he worshipped. It is wise for us never to be limited to what is physical when it comes to the issues we face in life, whether small or great. God can make people blind to earthly reality and can give sight to spiritual reality. He waits for our faith to be demonstrated in appropriate actions in all matters of life.
Much around us is real, though unseen. The air we breathe is present with us now and always has been, as are the five senses that make us aware of all the unseen realities God gave to remind us continually of His Person and Power. That Life-Source, God, the Creator, is revealed in mountains, flowers, animals, birds, sea creatures, and human beings. We are without excuse to believe in Him because what we can see makes us consider all the unseen realities.
There are unseen persons that men do not see. Angels surround the saints and protect the children. Heavenly hosts honor and praise God. There are also demonic foes we resist by the power of the Lord. The Holy Spirit is unseen, yet He dwells within the body of every believer. He also convicts unbelievers of sin, righteousness, and judgment to come. The Lord himself is in our midst when we gather together in His name, although He is unseen by natural eyes. He promised to be with us, and also God the Father.
So, even though we live in a world surrounded by enemies, we are protected and guided by unseen realities. We need not see them, for we live by faith and experience them through God’s kindness and grace. It doesn’t make something right because I may see what I consider true simply because it is a visible reality. My eyes may deceive me and cause me to stray from what is right, but unseen realities experienced by faith are with me to stay.
Moses had warned the Israelites in his farewell message that national rejection of God’s word and disobedience to God’s will would lead to famine; he even mentioned that they would turn to cannibalism. It may have been because the king of Syria had previously sent an army to take Elisha captive, that Joram blamed the siege and famine in Jerusalem on the prophet. Joram knew he couldn’t help the woman whose son was eaten, but he implied the Lord was to blame for their state, not their disobedience and idolatry.
Joram knew Elisha was a prophet of God, and through him, the Lord had done miracles. He may have thought Elisha could do a miracle any time he wanted. He was so angry that Elisha hadn’t done what he, the king, wanted that he sought to murder the prophet. Whether he was ready to surrender to the Arameans or kill Elisha is unclear, but he knew the Lord was behind the famine.
Trying to blame others for the wrongs we have done is a common way for people to avoid taking responsibility for their guilt and evil intentions. The only way to deal with our sins and failures is to admit our guilt honestly, confess our sins and forsake them. Shifting blame only adds to our guilt. Mere words do not always express an admission of guilt. Repentance begins deep in our souls, and as a result of soul-searching, open and honest confession and forsaking of sin bring deliverance.