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Fear Not: Elisha

Fear Not: Elisha

Fear Not: Elisha.

“And when the servant of Elisha, the man of God, arose early and went out, there was an army surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, ‘Alas, my master! What shall we do?” So Elisha answered, ‘Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ And Elisha prayed and said, ‘Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”  (2 Kings 6:15-17).

Elisha was hand picked by Yahweh to be the replacement for Elijah as a prophet to Israel. His ministry occurred around 800 BC, only 150 years after David. He was a prophet for 55 years, through four kings of Israel. Elijah was Elisha’s mentor for seven to eight years. After Elijah left this earth in a fiery whirlwind,, Elisha was left on his own to carry on the prophetic tradition. Fortunately, Elisha was more than up to the task. He had asked Elijah for a double-portion of Elijah’s spirit before Elijah was taken to heaven, and that proved to be the case. Elisha was involved with everything to do with Israel… religious reform, politics, military campaigns, palace intrigues, and performing remarkably practical and kindhearted miracles. Elisha ended up working twice the number of miracles of Elijah, a double-portion indeed, and so Elisha was one of the greatest miracle workers in the Hebrew Bible. Elisha was a man of great spiritual strength and integrity, and he seemed to have boundless energy. Everywhere one looked in Israel, there was Elisha, the prophet of Yahweh.

At one point in his ministry, Elisha was in deep trouble. The Arameans, avowed enemies of Israel, were charged by their king to seize Elisha and imprison  him. Elisha was a major thorn in the side of the king of Aram, because every time the Arameans planned an attack of Israel, Elisha supernaturally knew of the enemy’s strategy, and warned the king of Israel. After several incidents of thwarted attempts, the king of Aram had had enough. So he sent a huge army with soldiers, horses and chariots to surround Elisha and capture him. Early in the morning the servant of Elisha looked out and saw the Arameans ready to attack. The servant panicked and asked Elisha what they could do. Elisha calmly asked the Lord to open the spiritual eyes of the servant. Soon, the servant looked up, and he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with angels, and horses and chariots of fire. The Lord had assured the servant that there was a mighty heavenly army to defend them. And the servant was no longer afraid. The unseen became the seen, and it turned out the enemy was outnumbered.

An Answer to Fear: When trouble surrounds you, with eyes of faith envision what surrounds the trouble. At a moment’s notice, God of the Angel Armies will come to the rescue amidst any spiritual warfare you may be facing. If only we had eyes to see into the spiritual realm, like Elisha’s servant. We would be astounded and our fears would disappear. Be not afraid. There are more of us than there are of them. It is a supreme virtue to trust in God’s protection without these spiritual eyes. For we walk by faith, not by sight. 

Take Heart: “I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The Angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.”  (Psalm 34:4-7).