For Our Admonition Part 10
“Angels of the Lord Camp Around the Saints”
Key Verses: 2Ki 6:8-23
Being chosen as the true Israel of God and enduring the circumcision by the hand of God (Rom 2:29) ensures there are plenty of wars when our day of the Lord is at hand. That is how the heathen nations within us (Luk 17:21) are subdued and brought into subjection to the Lord. In this war, we lose many battles, especially the ones in the middle of our walk when we don’t remain vigilant to fight the good fight of faith. The best news is that victory is ensured in Christ. Whatever the Lord starts in us, He will finish exactly on schedule.
1Jn 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
Joh 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Our story today has Syria warring against Israel with Elisha, the King of Israel, and Elisha’s servant (presumably the spiritual leper Gehazi) in view. This story like all the OT stories is written for our spiritual edification and admonition. Here is the first part.
2Ki 6:8 Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp.
2Ki 6:9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down.
2Ki 6:10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.
2Ki 6:11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?
2Ki 6:12 And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.
2Ki 6:13 And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.
2Ki 6:14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.
2Ki 6:15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?
2Ki 6:16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
2Ki 6:17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
We all come to faith as spiritual Syrians. Abraham, the father of faith and his sons were all Syrians (Chaldeans) first, before they were chosen as the Israel of God.
Deu 26:5 And thou (Israel) shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous:
The king of Syria is a representation of our first born old man who wants to claim the land (dominion) that has been promised to Israel, who are God’s elect. The battle for dominion in the land is with our own flesh, inside the kingdom of God within us.
Mat 10:36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.
The physical history of flesh Israel reveals to us the spiritual experience that will follow for spiritual Israel which we are, as the Body of Christ.
The Hebrew word for Syria and Syrians [“aram” H758] comes from a root word “armon” that means to be elevated. No flesh shall glory in the Lord’s presence which means the Syrians will be put into submission before the new man within us is raised up in glory. This requires us to trust in the Lord and His ways when we see the impossible ahead.
Zec 4:6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
2Co 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
So long as we live in clay vessels we need to always be on guard against our flesh and the lusts therein. They are always seeking to war with Israel to take back the spiritual land that Christ’s elect are being promised as our possession.
2Ki 6:8 Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp.
The King of Syria, a representation of the old man, our man of sin, is warring against the Israel and Christ within us. This king relies on his servants, the lies and false doctrines of the harlot (Rev 9:16) to guide him in his warring conquests. Yet Christ in us, the man of God (Elisha), guides the King of Israel (you and me) on the schemes of our fleshly enemies and the wiles of their father, the devil’s, servants. With the warnings and admonitions of truth from Elisha, we, the king, are able to send armies (truth) and save the land and thwart the Syrian advances. This is spiritual warfare played out daily in our lives illustrated here in a biblical history lesson.
2Ki 6:9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down.
2Ki 6:10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.
This engagement and response against the Syrians is an ongoing battle not just once or twice. We only enter into the Kingdom and eternal life thru many trials of faith and many tribulations (Act 14:22) with our own flesh. This is how we grow, and our faith is proven.
Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Col 1:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
Col 1:29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
Elisha, as type of Christ, and the elder and prophet, was obedient to the commands as a faithful watchman and warns us, the king of Israel, of the Syrian plans.
Eze 33:7 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.
Our old man is vexed (troubled) by the continued thwarting of his plans as the land remains under the dominion of Israel.
2Ki 6:11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?
2Ki 6:12 And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.
The Syrian king discovers that Elisha knows all his secrets and what he speaks in his bed chamber. This reinforces how the Lord exposes our hidden sins and wicked thoughts in our day of the Lord. To be destroyed all things must be brought to the Light of Christ.
Mar 4:22 NKJV For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.
The fleshly agenda of the Syrian king within us will be uncovered and the king of Israel is able to defend the land.
Luk 12:2 For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.
Luk 12:3 Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.
Yet our old man does not go easily. This old king hatches a plan with the objective of capturing Elisha. This is the plan of the Pharisees in all of us who hate Christ and seek to kill Him.
2Ki 6:13 And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.
2Ki 6:14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.
Secular scholars like to say that Dothan was the home of Elisha. While we have no way of knowing that for certain we can deduce some spiritual significance from the name Dothan and apply that to our walk and journey onto maturity in Christ. The only other place Dothan is mentioned in the Scriptures is the story of Joseph (Gen 37) where his ten brothers attempted to slay him and eventually sold him into slavery in Egypt. Dothan is also the city where this Syrian army encampment takes places and there is an attempt to capture Elisha and put him into bondage. Most experts claim Dothan means two wells or two cisterns which does fit both stories where the city is mentioned.
Jer 2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
Like Joseph’s ten brothers and our flesh, the Syrians, we are committing these two evils as a Pharisee seeking to serve two masters and drink out of the wells of the Spirit and the flesh. We are both the sons hating and the son being hated at our appointed times.
Gen 37:17 And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.
Gen 37:18 And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.
As Pharisees we don’t want the land healed, we want to remain in power and control and not submit to the righteousness of Christ. Hence, we plot like the Syrians to capture Christ.
Mat 12:14 Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.
As Jews that believe on Jesus Christ (Joh 8:31), the Syrians within us (old man), seek to kill Christ and silence the truth so they can remain occupiers of the land.
Joh 8:40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.
The king of Syrian wars against the ways of the Spirit and sends many horses, chariots and a huge host (army) to war against Israel and defeat it. This is our battle against all that is in the world. Horses symbolize the strength and power of the world and our flesh which is why Israel was commanded not to ride horses nor engage in any horse trading.
Deu 17:14 When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me;
Deu 17:16 But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.
Deu 17:17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
Of course, with a bunch of heathen kings still living in the land, we are being caused to disobey all these commands first before we are caused to obey the Lord. The example of Solomon was written for our admonition in taking many horses and many wives.
1Ki 4:26 And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.
1Ki 11:3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
In the negative, chariots are lies and false doctrines that are pulled by the strength (the horses) of our carnal minds. The two hundred million locusts (Rev 9:16) are described as these chariots which are lies (Isa 9:15) that darken the truth and blot out the Light that are saving us.
Rev 9:7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.
Rev 9:9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.
It is through the use of these horses and chariots that our old man, as the King of Syria, wages war against the Israel of God within us and without. The deceitfulness of sin that lies in all of us creep in unawares in the cover of spiritual darkness. Before we know it, we are surrounded and we, like this servant, wake up to see our predicament and have no confidence in the Lord to deliver us. The lesson here is one of faith and how we stand on faith and know that this battle is the Lord’s.
Deu 20:4 For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.
We now get to the part of the story that is most instructive to our growing in the faith.
2Ki 6:15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?
2Ki 6:16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
The Lord is working this waging war within us and only He brings victory. Learning to trust in the Lord and His sovereignty is how we are given to rise up and overcome our enemies via our faith.
1Jn 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
1Co 2:5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
We are at war with our own flesh which seem hopeless until our eyes are opened. Our young faith is being tested often as those trials are what build us up in the Lord and move us onto maturity. We are learning to trust in the Lord alone and His supernatural power but at first, we cannot see the power that Christ has over all things.
Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth (mind and our bodies)
As Christ’s chosen disciples, we already have this power (Christ in us) but we don’t believe at first when our city is surrounded by the enemy.
Luk 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
The truth of the Word puts exponentially more enemies to flight when the two converge. No lies, the enemies of the truth can stand in the presence of truth. Thus the meanings of these war stories from the OT become clearer to us and the important of believing.
Lev 26:8 And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.
Deu 32:30 How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up?
When we are surrounded by our flesh (Syrians within) and it seems hopeless, the stronger are there to help the weaker in the faith. This care should be cast upon Christ and we should seek help and prayer from the multitude of counselors. Elisha, the mature man of God, prays to the Lord for the weak servant to see the spiritual truths and to see the true power of the Lord’s army.
2Ki 6:17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
The fire that surrounds Elisha and all in the Christ is the Living Word (fire) that lives inside of us and is spoken when we speak truth. The Lord’s horses and chariots are the truth, the doctrines on which we, the elect of God, ride and in which we stand.
Rev 19:14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
Rev 19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
Collectively this army is also known as the battle axe of the Lord through which all these heathen nations are destroyed.
Jer 51:20 Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;
Jer 51:21 And with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider;
Christ, through His Christ is our protector and our protection. There is no other place to be saved (Act 4:12)! Our seeing this truth comes via the process off maturing via the trials the Lord is working in our life with the Syrians and other heathen nations. The Body are the saviours and deliverers who help one another and protect us from the enemy within and without.
Psa 34:7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
Psa 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
Heb 1:7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
Pro 11:14 Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.
Most translations say this army was more [H7227] than the Syrians yet that being more or greater is only in power and strength not in quantity. The sum of the Word makes clear that the people of God are a little flock who are few in number (Mat 22:14) but mighty in Spirit (Mat 28:18)
Luk 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
The lesson of Gideon’s army (Jdg 7) is an OT proof also where a thirty-two thousand strong army was winnowed down to just three hundred by the Lord’s design to conquer the much larger Midianites. The Lord is saving a few now, through whom all men shall be saved.
2Ki 6:18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
2Ki 6:19 And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria.
2Ki 6:20 And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.
2Ki 6:21 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?
2Ki 6:22 And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.
2Ki 6:23 And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.
The second part of our story follows and begins with the Lord’s army coming together as one to hold each other up in time of war (Exo 17:12) and great trials. It is standing together in the Name of the Lord that our enemies are being defeated.
1Th 5:11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
The servant of Elisha (us in our time of unbelief) is strengthened and comforted by the Lord’s small and powerful army that facilitates us winning the battles with our flesh (the Syrians). The land is subdued and overcome by judgment that brings new light into the picture. Yet before we can see spiritually we must come to see that we are blind. The Word that brings judgment at first brings blindness and then only after a while do we realize we were blind as we begin to follow the Lord (Elisha back to Samaria).
Joh 9:39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
Joh 9:40 And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?
Joh 9:41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.
We have an OT witness to the same. Those gathered against Christ and His Christ (the Syrians within, the Pharisees within) will be blinded and lose all strength and direction of their old way of life.
Zec 12:3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
Zec 12:4 In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness.
The fire of the Word of truth destroy our former mindset and reveal our blindness even as God’s people. It is humbling to be blind and dependent upon others to lead us safely. But that is how an elevated prideful Syrian is brought low in the appointed time.
Jas 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
Once blinded, the Syrians within us, readily follow Elisha (Mat 9:27, Mar 8:23) where he leads them back to Israel and then reopens their eyes, so they can see. The last lesson in this story is learning to love our enemies and walking by the law of faith. Our enemies are doing exactly what the Lord has made them to do and for that we should be thankful as even they are for our sakes (2Co 4:15).
When our Syrian captives are brought back to the congregation of Israel, our first instinct as the king in training is to smite them or kill them. This is how the carnal mind works but that is not the Spirit of Christ.
Luk 9:56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.
Mat 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Elisha is obedient to the commands of God and teaches the king to be obedient and not do what the whole world does to their enemies. Loving our enemies, spiritually speaking is for us to feed Christ (the sheep) and give them drink as Elisha persuades the King of Israel to do. Paul and the Lord tell us to spiritually feed all those He puts in our path.
Rom 12:20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
Rom 12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Mat 25:37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
We can read on in Kings and see that the peace with the Syrians here was only temporary. The war with our flesh is a lifelong affair that consume our entire age or aion in these clay bodies. A different leader, king Benhadad, brings the Syrians right back into Israel after a season of peace and ends up conquering and controlling the land. Little by little we get the victory, overcome and possess the land in the Kingdom of God within us. Yet no matter where we are in that process, we are to never stop striving to walk the straight and narrow way.
Luk 13:24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
Pro 24:16 For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.
Sincere questions and comments are always welcome. You can also email me directly at peterjwilson56@gmail.com and I would be pleased to respond and help any way I can.
