Scripture Reference: 2 Kings 6:8-7:20

2. The God Who Protects

Please read 2 Kings 6:15-17 for the background to this section.

This servant was not Gehazi, for he had been removed and replaced. The young man was an early riser, which speaks well of him, but he was still deficient in his faith. Seeing the city surrounded by enemy troops, he did the normal thing and turned to his master for help.

A woman told evangelist D. L. Moody that she had found a wonderful promise that gave her peace when she was troubled, and she quoted Psalm 56:3, “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.” Moody said he had a better promise for her, and he quoted Isaiah 12:2, “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid.” We wonder what promises from the Lord came to Elisha’s mind and heart, for it’s faith in God’s Word that brings peace in the midst of the storm. Perhaps he recalled David’s words, “Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident” (Psalm 27:3). Or the words of Moses may have come to mind, “Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid . . . for the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you” (Deuteronomy 20:3-4).

Elisha didn’t trouble himself about the army; his first concern was for his frightened servant. If he was going to walk with Elisha and serve God, the young man would face many difficult and dangerous situations, and he had to learn to trust the Lord. We probably would have prayed that the Lord would give peace to the lad’s heart or calmness to his mind, but Elisha prayed for God to open his eyes. The servant was living by sight and not by faith and couldn’t see the vast angelic army of the Lord surrounding the city. Faith enables us to see God’s invisible army (Hebrews 11:27) and trust Him to give us the victory. Jacob had a similar experience before he met Esau (Genesis 32), and Jesus knew that, if His Father so desired, the angelic army could deliver Him (Matthew 26:53). “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people” (Psalm 125:2). “The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them” (Psalm 34:7). The angels are servants to God’s people (Hebrews 1:14), and until we get to heaven, we will never fully know how much they have helped us.

To Be Continued

Adapted and modified excerpts from Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Distinct, “Be” Commentary Series.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.