Sunday Morning Service (II Kings 6)

II Kings 6

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“To The Desperate And Despondent” • 6.25.17 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service

Intro.

- The author of Second Kings has continued to document the work of God through the prophet Elisha. Without a single righteous King to lead the way, God filled the void with Elisha.

- Israel could not say that God wasn't at work. Elisha's ministry stands as a living witness and unlike his predecessor, we see that he wasn't alone.

- Chapter 5 exposed us to several servants who were participating in the plans of God. Today, we'll encounter a few more at a few junctures that I believe will sound familiar.

- What does God have to say to fearful and overwhelmed servants? Let's pick it up in verse 1 and find out.

Text

•  II Kings 6:1-4a : "And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, 'See now, the place where we dwell with you is too small for us. Please, let us go to the Jordan, and let every man take a beam from there, and let us make there a place where we may dwell.' So he answered, 'Go.' Then one said, 'Please consent to go with your servants.' And he answered, 'I will go.' So he went with them." :  It's been some time since we have heard the phrase, "And the King did wicked in the sight of the Lord."

- That doesn't infer that there has been a spiritual awakening in Israel. The wickedness of Israel's Kings continued unabated. And yet, the sons of the prophets are experiencing notable growth!

- This group of prophetic students, dedicated to expanding their gifts, have begun to outgrow their facility while living in apostate Israel! Even there, God is raising up a remnant!

- Far from wanting to give in to discouragement, these young men seek to expand their efforts! You know God is moving when the disciples begin to plan big and they are willing to work for it!

- Elisha gives them his permission, but not the promise of his presence. He's not interested in building projects for their own sake. But they are intent upon him joining them!

- One said to him, "Please consent to go with us." That phrase would be better translated that he kept saying this to Elisha! One was persistent on behalf of the whole!

- Elisha is well loved and they don't simply want to learn from him. They want to take advantage of his presence, to work alongside of him and to gain his approval.

- Elisha had to laugh with joy as he resigned to go along with them in their plan. Verse 4.

• II Kings 6:4-6a : "And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, 'Alas, master! For it was borrowed.' So the man of God said, 'Where did it fall?' And he showed him the place." : Things were going well and the men had already cut down several trees. I can only picture the joy that this was in retrospect.

- Every time our church has gotten together to serve, there is joy and laughter as we go along in our calling for the day.

- Unfortunately for this group of men, the fun is interrupted when one man's iron ax head came loose from the cord that held it onto it's stick. The iron head fell right into the water behind him!

- When everyone realized that nobody was hurt, there had to be some laughter, but not for the guy who lost the iron head. His face is already stricken with panic! What's the big deal?

- When we have a broken tool, we just go over to our local hardware stores and purchase a new one! Iron was available in Israel, but not at an affordable price point for a prophet!

- To make matters worse, the language seems to indicate that he had begged to borrow this ax! He now had the unexpected responsibility of replacing something he didn't have the money for!

- As the full ramifications set into his mind and the panic sets in on his face, Elisha asks him a simple question. "Where did it fall?"

- The text doesn't record this, but if I had been asked, I might have retorted, "What does that matter? Didn't you hear me? The ax head is irretrieveably lost in the Jordan river!"

- To this man's credit, he didn't counter, but instead pointed to where it had been before it submerged. Verse 6.

• II Kings 6:6b,7 : "So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float. Therefore he said, 'Pick it up for yourself.' So he reached out his hand and took it." : Elisha doesn't part the waters. He cut off a piece of wood, a stick and threw it in where the ax had fallen! Elisha made it float, after the stick was thrown in.

- There are several liberal scholars who believe that he threw a stick which then reunited itself with the hole in the iron, such as we have in modern axes today. That wasn't the case.

- This was a pure miracle and yet another incredible instance when God introduced a piece of wood, a stick into the narrative to perform a miraculous event.

- When Jacob sought to bring forth speckled and spotted flocks, he bred them before sticks of peeled poplar at God's command! (Genesis 30:37)

- When God sent Moses to confront the Pharoah, He sent him with a stick! (Exodus 4:1-3) Here, Elijah introduces yet again, a simple piece of the tree and the iron head floated to the surface!

- The young man couldn't believe what he was seeing! He was so impressed that he continued to stare at it until Elisha said, "Pick it up for yourself!"

- What we have here is a wonderful illustration of God's compassion upon a panicked servant!

- The nation wasn't saved by this act, but a servant's heart was rescued by God in his time of distress!  When you are distressed and hopeless, what are you to do?

- You begin by confessing where your panic began. "Where did it fall?"

- Ask the Lord to diagnose what had been occurring in your life before you became panicked. More often than not, you and I will discover a neglect of spiritual disciplines.

- Our prayer life is shoddy. Our fellowship with other believers is non-existent.

- Our intake of the Word of God is rote and detached. Our celebration of communion is ceremonial, not personal. Most of the time, we'll be able to say that this is the root of our problem.

- Ah, but this man was right where God wanted him to be, in service and in fellowship! Being a godly person does not make you immune from trouble! This world is full of them!

- Even he must see the tree in his circumstance! He must be reminded of God's presence and oversight in the unexpected problems that have come his way!

- I am of the mind that when we are confronted with unexpected trouble, we are to remember that God has already done the most for us by sending Jesus to die. Will He let us sink now?

- If He has already done the most, will He not now take care of the least to secure His saints?

- Elisha was the vehicle through whom God worked to raise the iron head to the surface. The man still needed to take hold of the piece personally!

- I can tell you all the truth of scripture especially about your own personal trials. You must look at it and grab that truth for yourself! This leads us to our next illustration. Verse 8.

• II Kings 6:8-14 : "Now the king of Syria was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants, saying, 'My camp will be in such and such a place.' And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, 'Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are coming down there.' Then the king of Israel sent someone to the place of which the man of God had told him. Thus he warned him, and he was watchful there, not just once or twice. Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, 'Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?' And one of his servants said, 'None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.' So he said, 'Go and see where he is, that I may send and get him.' And it was told him, saying, 'Surely he is in Dothan.' Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city."

- Elisha's intelligence service was incredibly effective, exposing to the King of Israel, the secret assassination attempts that would be made against him by his enemies.

- This happened on several occasions and prompted the King of Syria to question the loyalty of his servants, one of which was bold enough to explain that it was Elisha that spilled his secret!

- "He can hear what you whisper to your wife at night!" That's a little creepy!

- Understandably, the King of Syria wants him out of business and sends a large detachment of troops to Dothan. They surround the city while it sleeps.

- What is sad is that he believes that he is now able to surprise Elisha after the Prophet has repeatedly thwarted his plans! This isn't going to go well! Verse 15.

• II Kings 6:15 : "And when the servant of 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?'" : Elisha's servant gets up to grab the morning paper and notices an entire army surrounding the city!

- They are well armed with the latest technology and it's no secret that they are there to arrest  his Master Elisha.

- With all the color drained from his face, the young man came and reported the crisis. Given his current information, he is completely justified in his panic.

- There isn't any place to run or hide. There is no recourse and really, there is nothing that can be done, but he asks anyway! Verse 16.

• II Kings 6:16-18 : "So he 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. So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, and said, 'Strike this people, I pray, with blindness.' And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha." : Elisha is drinking his coffee, scanning the front page of the morning paper, barely interested enough to respond.

- His first words are "Do not fear." Once again, the phrase is written in the imperfect, which conveys the idea of repitition. Elisha had to repeatedly tell his servant to set aside his fear.

- I am always encouraged by the report of the similarity of the Bible characters to my own life! God has had to convey the same thing many times to me!

- The servant of God can choose to set aside their fear because this truth is on our side as well!  Elisha tells him that there were more with them than there were with the Syrians!

- "We aren't the ones at a disadvantage!" Would you listen to that? If the Lord God is your Father. If Jesus Christ is your Savior.

- If the Holy Spirit is your leader then there is always more resource on your side than you realize! Elisha has told his servant the truth but it seems to have fallen on deaf ears.

- Perhaps you can relate. Your loved one is overwhelmed by the odds facing them and you have told them the truth that God's stores are far greater than their deficits. But they won't hear it!

- They know the truth but they can't see any other reality! What can be done for them? "Give them more truth!" "Open their Bibles to Third Confirmations!"

- When words of truth fail to hit the mark, Elisha turns to prayer! Please don't get me wrong: Tell them the truth but then pray that the Lord opens their eyes to receive it!

- I can repeatedly encourage you with God's Word. I can share every assurance from my own experience, as well as the experiences of others with you until I am blue in the face!

- I have found that it's far better to have God open your eyes to the truth! He does it best and there is nothing like seeing it with your own spiritual eyes!

- When Elisha prayed, his servant's eyes were opened to see the most magnificent vision he would ever see! Behind the army that was surrounding him was an army surrounding them!

- A mountain full of horses and chariots of fire! He is given the advantage of seeing the spiritual reality that lies behind the physical reality. What a wonderful gift in that moment!

- Don't you wish that God would give you that same kind of assurance? Friends, let me tell you that He has given you something far more sure: His Holy Word!

- Every promise that He has given is yours to claim! His Word is far more sure than any vision or dream that you can receive!

- When that confidence conquered his fear, he was was able to see God work on their behalf without even having to use the heavenly army! They are there, but they are unnecessary.

- Elisha asks that the Lord strike the Syrians with blindness and just like that, it happened! There was never any trouble to fear! God had never lost control! Verse 19.

• II Kings 6:19-23 : "Now Elisha said to them, 'This is not the way, nor is this the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.' But he led them to Samaria. So it was, when they had come to 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 there they were, inside Samaria! Now when the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, 'My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?' But he answered, 'You shall not kill them. Would you kill those whom you have taken captive with your sword and your bow? Set food and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.' Then he prepared a great feast for them; and after they ate and drank, he sent them away and they went to their master. So the bands of Syrian raiders came no more into the land of Israel."

- Elisha led the blinded Syrian army right into the capital and asked for the Lord to restore their sight there! When their eyes were opened, they saw that they were surrounded by Israel's army!

- Elisha hadn't lied to them. He led them right to himself and to King Jehoram, who is not sure what he should do with these captives! He is to treat them with dignity.

- Bless them, feed them and send them on their way! That will send a far better message than an all out massacre! Jehoram treated the men well and sent them home.

- At that time, Syria made the wise decision to keep way from Israel. But just like our enemy, Syria will not stay away for long! Verse 24.

• II Kings 6:24,25 : "And it happened after this that Ben-Hadad king of Syria gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria. And there was a great famine in Samaria; and indeed they besieged it until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and one-fourth of a kab of dove droppings for five shekels of silver." : According to scholars, this is actually Ben-Hadad II. He catches Samaria at just the right time, beseigning the city at a time of severe famine.

- A donkey's head, in better times was discarded without a second thought. At this time, it is valued at 80 shekels of silver! And one fourth of a kab of dove droppings? We're talking ounces!

- Some consider the dove droppings as valuable for the seed that was discovered in it.

- That notwithstanding, when you are forced to pay to have "donkey head soup" and "dove dropping souffle," you know you are in a heap of trouble, but that wasn't the worst of it! Verse 26.

• II Kings 6:26-31 : "Then, as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, 'Help, my lord, O king!' And he said, 'If the Lord does not help you, where can I find help for you? From the threshing floor or from the winepress?' Then the king said to her, 'What is troubling you?' And she answered, 'This woman said to me, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ So we boiled my son, and ate him. And I said to her on the next day, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him’; but she has hidden her son.' Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he tore his clothes; and as he passed by on the wall, the people looked, and there underneath he had sackcloth on his body. Then he said, 'God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today!'" : What a horrifying reality? A Mother stands before the King of Israel with her grisly complaint.

- She is not complaining about having to eat her son. She is complaining that the woman who promised her son as food for this day has hidden him away for herself!

- These were, it seems, living children at this time, though, from what it sounds like, death was a more enviable position to "life!"

- When the King hears this, he tore off his royal attire to reveal the sackcloth on his body, reflective of his mourning heart.

- Unfortunately, He is sad at the effect, but he is not considerate of the cause! He wants to execute Elisha because he believes that he is the cause of his troubles!

- Elisha is the only one who is able to correctly diagnose his situation! What the King is seeing are the consequences of Israel's betrayal of their covenant with God!

- He is living out what God promised would take place in Deuteronomy 28:52-57. Yet, as with most idolators, the King won't repent of his own godless behavior.

- He won't destroy the idols, the largest temple for which was located right there in his city! Instead, he will continue to provoke the holiness of God. Verse 32.

• II Kings 6:32,33 : "But Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. And the king sent a man ahead of him, but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, 'Do you see how this son of a murderer has sent someone to take away my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door. Is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?' And while he was still talking with them, there was the messenger, coming down to him; and then the king said, 'Surely this calamity is from the Lord; why should I wait for the Lord any longer?'" : Elisha is sitting in his home with the elders of Israel. What are they doing there? These men are actively seeking the Lord!

- Often times, it takes grave situations and extreme circumstance to produce the very best leaders! These are living in a time of physical and more importantly, spiritual famine.

- Right in the thick of their meeting, this messenger comes to announce Elisha's pending fate.

- He's barely in the door when Jehoram walks in and confesses his frustration with the Lord!

- His speech implies that Elisha has counseled him to wait upon the Lord and to not surrender to the Syrian army because God would deliver them.

- Doesn't he sound like someone you know? "I've been waiting and nothing has happened!" The situation he is in is from the Lord. It is a consequence for their idolatry.

- In spite of their disobedience, God has given him a word to wait. Why should he? Take a look at the first verse in chapter 7.

• II Kings 7:1 : "Then Elisha said, 'Hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord: ‘Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.’" : What does he encourage the King with? The Word of the Lord! You need nothing more than that!

- When you need something more than that, there is something deficient in your heart! Elisha looks him in the eye and tells him that there will be enough flour and barley to sell for pennies!

- Their reversal of fortune, their deliverance is one day away! That is what is worth waiting for!

- Too often, God's people fall prey to Jehoram's way of thinking. They've waited long enough and they move right before they are about to receive what God had for them all along!

- We'll look at what happened "tomorrow" next week!

Conclusion
- If you have ever felt that you were sunk, look at a piece of the Tree. Jesus died to save your soul. Can a living Savior fail to lift you up from the depths?

- If you have ever faced overwhelming odds, pray that you might see the true spiritual reality that confirms the truth you have heard.

- If you are wondering about your wait, keep in mind that with God, the change you are hoping for may only be a day away!