God’s Powerful Protection

Good morning. Good to see you all. If you have your Bibles, please get ready to turn to 2 Kings, chapter 6. Jesus famously said in Matthew 5, 44, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." There may be few commands of Jesus that are more distinctly Christian than that. The words are well known, of course, even admired by secular societies. But the command itself is far more radical than it initially sounds. Love your enemies, not merely tolerate your enemies, not merely refuse to retaliate against your enemies, not merely be nice or be kind, but love your enemies. Do good to those who want to do evil to you. Well every once in a while, history gives us a little glimpse of what something like that can actually look like. At the end of the World War II, the U.S. and Britain had just spent years at war with Nazi Germany. But only three years after the war ended, the Soviet Union blockaded West Berlin. So food couldn't get in, fuel couldn't get in, and millions of German civilians faced desperate shortages. So the United States and Britain partnered up and began what became famously known as the Berlin Air Lift, flying food and fuel and supplies into the blockaded city. Just think about that. Only a few years earlier, Allied planes had flown over Germany carrying bombs. Now American and British planes were flying into Berlin carrying bread. The nations that had recently been fighting Nazi Germany were now helping to feed the people of Germany. Now that's just a faint human glimpse of what it can look like to love your enemies. But in our passage this morning, we're going to see something like that, but to an even greater degree. We're continuing our fall and winter study through the Kings and our series titled The King of Kings. And as I've shared with you, the Kings isn't ultimately about the pump and glory of the Israel's Kings. It's actually the story of Israel's short-lived glory and her subsequent downfall and division and eventual exile. But the message of the Kings is clear as we have repeated over and over again week after week. Kings fail and kingdoms fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever. Second Kings chapter 6 verses 8 through 23 is a drastic shift from the short, simple, and somewhat strange story that we read from last week's passage. The story of the community of the sons of prophets growing, the borrowed axe head sinking and then miraculously surfacing. The story now zooms out to the national scale to kings and armies because once again we realize that Israel is at war with neighboring countries. This particular story follows the war between Syria and Israel. And remember where all of this is heading. Israel is already in a long downward spiral, a downward spiritual decline that will eventually end in judgment expressed in exile. And things are going to get even darker. In fact, by the end of chapter 6, Samaria, Israel's capital will be under siege. A famine will be so severe there in Israel in Samaria that will read of a horrifying account, earmuffs for children, perhaps, of a mother eating her own children. Come back next week for that sermon. That's how dark things are about to become. But before we get there, right here in the middle of that downward decline, this passage gives us a remarkable gospel respite, a glimpse of grace extended even to the enemies of God. A glimpse of what it truly means to love your neighbors and through it, we're given a clearer picture of who our God is. So from 2 Kings chapter 6 verses 8 through 23, I want to share with you three ways. God shows his sovereign rule even over our enemies. Three ways God shows his sovereign rule even over his enemies. Here's the outline if you are taking notes. Point number one, the sovereign knowledge of God from verses 8 through 12. Point number two, the supernatural power of God from verses 13 through 20. Point number three, the surprising grace of God, verses 21 through 23. The sovereign knowledge of God, the supernatural power of God, the surprising grace of God. Brothers and sisters, I pray through this message you will be encouraged again, a new of God's sovereign love and protection for you. Even when enemies and wars wage against us, our God is greater than any enemy and nothing can separate us from his love. Amen? Yes, and visitors, welcome. Thank you so much for joining us for our weekly Sunday service. If you are here and you are not a Christian, we especially welcome you this morning. We have prayed for you, seriously. We pray every Saturday morning for our visitors. So we have prayed for you. Pray that God would lead you here for you to hear his true and life giving words. Friends, I want to ask you a question this morning. If you are not a Christian, what does it really mean to love your enemies? Is it simply being kind to everyone, treating others nicely, fairly equally? Well, what about for people who actually want to harm you? What about someone who has done something genuinely evil against you? How do you love your enemies then? How can you love your enemy without pretending that their evil doesn't matter? Because love cannot simply ignore evil, you see. Well the Christian faith gives us an answer. It shows us how perfect love and perfect justice can work together. And the answer is in Jesus Christ, which I'll tell you more, a down later in the sermon. That's why I said earlier, loving our enemies is so distinctly, uniquely Christian. And in today's passage, we're given a glimpse of that as Israel's enemies come face to face with the power and grace of God. And our prayer is that through this message that you would see more clearly who God is and why you can trust him today. So without further ado, let's turn now to his word found on page 311 of the Blue Bibles around you. And as you turn and look there, I want to ask you to please keep your Bibles open and reference it often for the entire duration of my reading and preaching so that you know this is God's word for you to grow you in knowledge, love and trust of him. And can I ask you, just as I have committed to prayerfully, carefully and faithfully preach this message, will you commit to prayerfully, carefully and faithfully listen to this message? May God be praised through our preaching and our hearing of the word. Second Kings chapter 6 verses 8 through 23 says this. Once when the king of Syria was warring against Israel, he took counsel with his servant saying, "At such and such a place shall be my camp." But the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, beware that you do not pass this place for the Syrians are going down there. The king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God told him, thus he used to warn him so that he saved himself there more than once or twice. And the mind of the king of Syria was greatly troubled because of this thing. He called this servant and said to them, "Will you not show me who 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. And he said, "Go and see where he is that I may send and season." It was told him, "Behold, he is in Dothin." So he sent their horses and chariots in a great army and they came by night and surrounded the city when the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, "Alas, my master, what shall we do?" He said, "Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Then Elisha prayed and said, "O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see." So the Lord opened the eyes of a young man and he saw and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. And when the serians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, "Please strike this people with blindness." So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha. And Elisha said to them, "This is not the way and this is not the city. Follow me and I will bring you to the man whom you seek." And he led them to Samaria. As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha said, "O Lord, open the eyes of these men that they may see." So the Lord opened their eyes and they saw and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. As soon as the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, "My father, shall I strike them down? Shall I strike them down?" He answered, "You shall not strike them down." Would you strike down those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow, set bread and water before them that they may eat and drink and go to their master. So he prepared for them a great feast, and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away and they went to their master. And the serians did not come again on raids into the land. Israel. How does God show his sovereign rule over his enemies? Before we take a closer look at the text, remember what I shared with you last Sunday. When we are reading narrative, it's important to consider how the story is told, because that helps us understand what the story is teaching us. So notice, one of the most obvious things in this passage. There are many characters, isn't there, kings and soldiers and servants and entire armies, yet throughout the whole story, only one of the main characters is actually given a personal name, Elisha. He is the central human character through whom God is working through, and while kings and servants and armies are moving back and forth, God through his prophet is sovereignly at work. God through Elisha reveals his sovereign rule over kings, over armies and over nations, and that helps us to frame what this whole passage is about. Well, what do we learn first about his sovereign rule? Look again at verses 8 through 10, which says this. Once when the king of Syria was warring against Israel, he took counsel with this servant saying, "At such and such a place shall be my camp, but the man of God sent word to the king of Israel beware, that you do not pass this place, but the Syrians are going down there, and the king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God told him, thus he used to warn him so that he saved himself there more than once or twice." A little bit more of background helps us to understand what's happening here. Syria is erum. It was one of Israel's major enemies during this time. Its capital was Damascus, and throughout this period of the kings, there was an ongoing conflict between Syria and the northern kingdom of Israel. Interestingly again, we're not actually told the name of this Syrian king. Are we? Later in verse 24, we're introduced a benedad, king of Syria, so it is possible that benedad is the king here as well, but we can't say that with certainty. Because the accounts of Elisha in chapters 4 through 8 are not necessarily told in strict chronological order. Apparently the author doesn't think the king's name is important for us to know here. Again, perhaps there is a purpose to that in this narrative, keeping our attention solely on Elisha as the center of this story. So we don't know exactly which king, and we also don't know the precise battles that this traces in history. We're told that Syria was warring against Israel. But it seems that these weren't necessarily massive, full-scale invasions, not yet, as we'll see that will come later in this very chapter. But here it seems that Syria was carrying out these series of strategic military incursions, raids against Israel. The king of Syria is planning secret attacks against Israel. And so he consults his servants, his military leaders about where his forces should be positioned. These were plans that Israel wasn't supposed to know. But guess what? Every time the king of Syria makes a move somehow, Israel already knew. How? Israel's army was supposed to be there. They were supposed to be camping out over there. But when this Syrian army arrives sneakily, stealthily, surprise attackingly, where did it go? They're not there. Well, we're told the man of God Elisha had been warning the king of Israel. Nope, nope, don't send your army there. No, no, no, not there, not there. The Syrians are going down, don't go there. And the king of Israel takes the warnings seriously, and it says more than once, more than twice, maybe three times. Again, and again, the army of the Israelites are spared. The Syrians make their secret plans, Elisha gives his warnings, and the Israel army avoids the danger again and again and again. Now, again, we're not told the name of the king of Israel in the surrounding narratives. This is likely Jahorum, the son of Ahab. Although, for the same chronological regions, we talked about earlier, we should be a bit careful about being too certain about who this is. But if this is Jahorum, we already know, he certainly was not the ideal God-fearing God obeying king that a king of Israel was supposed to be. You see, back in chapter three of Second Kings, we're told that he did what was evil in the side of the Lord. Although, not to the same extent of his father and mother, the iconic, the symbolic, the archetypic wicked king and queen of Israel, Ahab and Jezebel. So, a little better than them, according to Second Kings, chapter three verses two and three, nevertheless, he was not some great godly king who earned God's protection. Yet, interestingly here, we see God repeatedly warning him through his prophet, and at least here, the king, for whatever reason, heads Elisha's warnings. And again, the author doesn't explain why the king responds in this way, because that really isn't the point. The point is, the question is, how did Israel know? How did Israel keep avoiding the plans of the enemy? Why were they warned where the Syrian forces were going to be before they get there? That's the important question. Well, the king of Syria wants to know the exact same thing. What in the world is going on? Look at verse 11. And he called his servants and said to them, "Will you not show me who of us is for the king of Israel?" In other words, the king of Syria questions, "Who among us is a mole? Who's a rat here? Who's a spy? Who's a traitor?" His response is expected, isn't it? It's a natural human response. Yet the author begins to show us something and I agree with some of the commentators, something almost comical is going on here. The author shows us how foolish the king of Syria looks, or at least how ignorant he acts. Look at verse 12. 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." Listen, how is it that a servant, a nameless servant knows yet the king doesn't know. Again, the servant isn't named. The author is purposeful here. It's not an army commander. It's not a general. It's not a military advisor, but a lowly servant who answers the king with confidence. You see, in the ancient day, to provide false information to a king could perhaps result in death. Yet listen to such certainty and detailed use of words of the servant. "None my Lord O king, there is no mole here, but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom." Friends, aren't you curious? How in the world is this servant so confident? How was he so certain that there was no spy among them, the entire army, the entire nation of Syria? Did he interrogate every man in the army? Did he check if there was any rumors going around? If there was indeed a traitor in their mist, how in the world did the servant know with such certainty that it is Elisha, the prophet of God, who warns the king of Israel, words that the king of Syria speaks in his own bedroom. I was going to say bathroom, bedroom. We'll remember, back in 2 Kings 5, Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army had been miraculously healed of his leprosy through Elisha. And before he returned to Syria, he had declared in 2 Kings 5, 15, "Behold, I know there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel." So by now, it should not be a surprise to us that even in Syria, they had heard about the prophet of God, Elisha. But more importantly, they must have already heard about the God of Israel, the God who could do what no other God could do. And now the servant knows without a doubt it's Elisha. How is not the matter? What is not what's important? It's who that makes all the difference? Who is behind Elisha, the God of Israel? Now again, I want to drive the point, the author's point and emphasis, but I'm going to detract just the tiny slight bid to insert this implication. You can be the most powerful king. You can have all the authority, all the power, all the glory, all the wealth of a kingdom, and all the right heritage, all the right genes, yet be so ignorant and so spiritually blind to the reality of God. Don't let me make a point, let the verse speak for itself, look at verse 13, and he said, go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him, and it was told him to be hold, he isn't dolphin. Guys, do you see the irony here? The king of Syria was just told that there's a prophet of God in Israel, Elisha, who knows the words He speaks in his own bedroom, the same prophet, through whom his number one commander, Naaman, was healed miraculously from leprosy. He's the same prophet who has been warning Israel about his military plans again and again and again. Yet the King of Syria says, "Go and see where he is that I may send in season." Do you see how it's almost comical? The irony is the King who can't even keep his own plans and secrets from Elisha now makes another plan, to capture Elisha. He is either too proud to accept reality or too blind to see it. His servant seems to know what the King of Syria still doesn't understand. The King of Syria doesn't yet grasp the reality of who he is dealing with. The King of Syria makes plans, but God already knows. The King of Syria speaks behind closed doors, but God already knows. The King of Syria commands his armies, but God already knows. There is no plan. There is no strategy, no word, no threat. That is hidden from the God of Israel, Yahweh. This is the sovereign knowledge of God, you see. And as we're about to see the King of Syria doesn't merely fail to understand what God knows. He's about to discover what this God can do. But before we move on, some applications for us. Brothers and sisters, what does the truth of God's sovereign knowledge, even when dangers and threats of enemies surround us, mean for you and me? What does the fact that God has a sovereign knowledge over all things mean for you and me? That there is great comfort in knowing that what catches us by surprise never catches God off guard. Not your sins, not your circumstances, not your enemies, not your failures, not your struggles, not your doubts, not your fears, not your anxieties. You may not know what's coming tomorrow. You may not know how a situation is going to turn out. You may be completely be caught off guard by something you never saw coming, but God knows. There is no threat, no trial, no loss, no uncertainty, no event, no situation that God doesn't already know. You see, again, that may not always mean that God will prevent the trouble from coming at you. This very chapter will make that clear as I have indicated. But it does mean because the God who knows all things is sovereign overall, nothing can happen to you that somehow falls outside of his sovereign role. Let me say that again, nothing can happen to you that somehow falls outside of his sovereign role. Of course, you don't know what's coming. Of course, you don't know how it's going to turn out. But if you know that God knows, if you know that God knows, to know him is to trust him. And to trust him is to rest in him. It's to have peace in him because your peace doesn't rest in what you know. It rests in who you know. In the God who knows all things and rules over all things. Amen? Psalm 9 10 says, "And those who know your name, but they're trusting you. For you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you." And Isaiah 263 says, "You keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you." Yet brothers and sisters, knowing is only just a part of the blessing of knowing God because the God who knows all things also has the power to do something about it. Amen? Which moves us to our next point. Point number two, the supernatural power of God. These are the verses you've been waiting for, right? Verses 13 through 20. Look at verses 14 through 15 again. It says this. So he, King of Syria, sent their horses and chariots and a great army. And they came by night and surrounded the city. When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, "Alas, my master, what shall we do?" Of course, when you are trying to capture a prophet of God who knows the secret plan you talk about in your bedroom, who is responsible for thwarting multiple carefully planned military attacks, the only way to do so is to send a ginormous army and especially send them secretly by night. That's sarcasm in case you didn't catch that. Now, when it says the King of Syria sends a great army, we don't know exactly how great that army was. Maybe a hundred men, maybe a thousand men, maybe 10,000 men. We're not given the exact number, but we're told everything we need to know. I love that the scripture is so sufficient for us to know all that we need to know. This was a force with horses and chariots large enough to surround the city of Dothan. Archaeological evidence suggests that ancient Dothan was not a massive metropolis. The larger settled area, the top of the mound was about 10 acres, where Elisha was, and where the larger settled area where people lived was around 25 acres. Some estimate during that general period, there lived about 1,200 people in that city. So picture the scene. The King of Syria sends horses and chariots and a great army, maybe hundreds, maybe a thousand men to surround this relatively small city to capture one man, one prophet, not a soldier, not a military leader, one herald of God. We can be pretty sure this was a scare tactic. Remember, the King of Syria doesn't know, he doesn't see, he doesn't get who he's up against, but his strategy works to scare and intimidate, because look at verse 15 again. When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city, and the servant said, Alas, my master, what shall we do? Here he is again, Mr. Alas, man. All right, everybody has to say it at least once to get it out of your system, ready? Alas! If you missed last Sunday's message, you missed an interesting story about a man who cried, Alas! Actually, we don't know if this was the same man because last Sunday, the man who cried, Alas, was one of the sons of the prophets. Here we have a servant of Elisha. But again, the point of the author is not, who is this servant? He's not the focus of the narrative you see. What's important is what comes next. Look at verse 16. He, Elisha said, do not be afraid. For those who are with us are more than those who are with them. Notice what Elisha doesn't say. He doesn't tell his servant what he sees is wrong. There really is a great army surrounding the city. There are really probably hundreds of horses and chariots all around them, ready to capture them. The servant's problem isn't seeing something that isn't there. The problem is that he can't see all everything that is there. He doesn't see what Elisha sees. That's why Elisha says, do not be afraid. Why? What? Who is with us? The servant must have thought. As far as the servant can see, there was only two of them in that mountain. Elisha and him and surrounding them a great Syrian army. They're about to get killed. So what's this man talking about? But you see, Elisha wasn't speaking nonsense. Elisha wasn't seeing random things. He wasn't imagining things. He wasn't hallucinating. Elisha knows there is another reality that is servant simply cannot yet see. The servant sees the great army surrounding Elisha, but he doesn't see the greater army of God surrounding that army. Now before the servant and perhaps even you have your, what you're talking about with this moment here? Look it for 17. Then Elisha prayed and said, oh Lord, please open his eyes that he may see. So 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. Notice Elisha doesn't pray. Never prayed. Lord send us an army. He prays for the servant. Lord opens his eyes because a greater angel army was already there protecting them. The servant couldn't see it. The Syrians had surrounded Dothan, but God's army had actually surrounded them. The servant thought they were outnumbered, but the reality is they were never outmatched. Now I realize, some may hear this and think, "Wait a minute. What's this about invisible angelic armies? Is this one of those churches, those weird churches that talk about seeing angels?" Well, listen, the Bible clearly teaches that there is an unseen heavenly realm that God commands a heavenly host. This is not some strange idea found in this one's story, or this one's sermon. First Kings 22, 19, there, Makiah sees the Lord sitting on his throne with all the host of heaven standing beside. Psalm 68, 17 says, "The chariots of God are twice 10,000, thousands upon thousands." Psalm 34, 7 says, "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and delivers them." The New Testament also talks about it. Hebrews 114 calls angels ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation. In Ephesians 6, 12, reminds us that there is an unseen spiritual realm which also includes spiritual enemies. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against authorities, against cosmic powers, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places, and Jesus himself says in Matthew 26, 53, that his father could send him more than 12 legions of angels. So yes, if you want to be biblical, the Bible assumes that beyond the physical world there is a spiritual realm that we ordinarily cannot see. There are angels. There are demons. There are spiritual forces, but the truth is the Lord, God, Yahweh is the Lord over them all. But we need to be careful not to say more than what the Bible says. This passage does not promise that every Christian has fiery chariots surrounding them at all times. That's bad theology. And the point is not Christian. There are guardian angels all around you. You could talk to them. You could name them. You just need enough faith, enough spiritual vision to see them. No, that's not what this passage promises at all. That's bad exegesis. And most likely, if any Christian claims they see angels, I see angels over you. You can probably equate that with the boy in the movie Sixth Sense saying, I see that people possessed or delulu deluded. Why? This was a particular supernatural revelation that God gave to this servant at this moment in redemption history. God opened his eyes to see something that was actually there. The heavenly army under God's command. Now look again at exactly what he sees. The mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. Don't miss the contrast. In verse 15, the servant sees horses and chariots all around the city. In verse 17, God opens his eyes and he sees horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. Hallelujah. The Syrians have their horses and chariots and their great army, but Elisha has Yahweh and an angel army. It brings to mind Psalm 20 verse 7, some trust in chariots and some trust in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. That's the point of the passage. Do you see it? The Syrians are trusting in what they can see horses and chariots and military power, but Elisha's confidence is not ultimately in a greater, bigger army, but in a great God. That's why he could say in verse 16, don't be afraid. The Apostle Paul said it this way, you know this verse well, first John 44, little children, you are from God and have overcome them. For he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world, amen? Listen beloved friends, don't miss the point in this passage. The power is not in the angel army. The power is in Yahweh, the God who commands the host of heaven, and the power is not you seeing these spiritual beings. The power is in the God to whom Elisha prays. Did you catch it? How does the servant come to see these angels? Elisha prays. Well, that's not the only time Elisha prays in this story, is it? Watch quickly how the story unfolds. In verse 18, the Syrians come down to capture Elisha, Elisha prays and the Lord strike them with blindness. Now that probably does not mean they're completely unable to physically see because they still have to follow Elisha to Samaria. The word is actually a rare word also used in Genesis 19, that word for blindness, when the men of Sodom cannot find the door. So this seems to be some sort of supernatural blindness or disorientation or confusion. They can see but they can't see. Then in verse 19, Elisha tells them this is not the way and this is not the city. Follow me and he leads the Syrian army straight to Samaria, the capital of Israel. Now some of you guys were asking about this at early morning prayer yesterday that you discussed in your community groups if Elisha was lying here, if Elisha is being deceptive. Well, it never says Elisha says, I'm not Elisha and he does ultimately bring them to the man they were looking for because Elisha is standing right there when they open their eyes through his prayer in Samaria. But again, the bigger point that the author is leading us to is this great reversal you see. The army that came to capture Elisha is now being led by Elisha. And in verse 20, once they enter Samaria, Elisha prays again, Lord, open the eyes of these men that they may see and God opens their eyes and behold their standing in the middle of Samaria. Syrians have been trying to set traps for Israel. Now they find themselves in the most shocking ambush that they themselves walk right into in the middle of enemy territory in the middle of Samaria. Some theologians have pointed out a kind of chiastic structure here in this passage, a reversed mirrored pattern where the heart of the center of the passage is that prayer between verses 17 and 20. But whether there is a clear chiasm or not, the repetition, the emphasis is clear. Prayer opens the servant's eyes in verse 17. Prayer blinds the Syrian soldiers in verse 18 and prayer opens their eyes again in verse 20. Again, the point, the repetition is not accidental. It is purposeful. The supernatural power is not the spiritual armies, is not in Elisha. The power is not even in the prayer itself, as though the prayer itself is some kind of magical force. No. Again, the point, the power belongs to God. Prayer is our dependence upon the God who has the power. Here again, the emphasis. Prayer becomes the means through which the servant is able to see a reality he could have never seen with his own two eyes. So brothers and sisters, the lesson, again, is not, "Lord, please let me see angels. You should not walk out of the service, praying that prayer." That's not the point. The point is, "Lord, open my eyes to see, believe, and to trust in what you have already revealed." That's exactly what happens to the servant. Again, look at the complete reversal. The Syrian army came to surround. Now they are surrounded. They came to capture Elisha, but now they are the captives. They came in power, but now they stand powerless in the middle of Samaria through the prayer of Elisha. Through his intercession, God opens their eyes to see a reality. None of them. None of them could have even imagined. But the next verses are the most shocking surprise of the whole story, even a greater reversal, which brings us to our third and final point. Point number three, the surprising grace of God versus 21 through 23. Look at me to those verses. Again, let's read the whole thing right there. Shall I strike them down?" He answered, "You shall not strike them down." We just strike down those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow, set bread and water before them that they may eat and drink and go to their master. So he prepared for them a great feast. And when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away and they went to their master. And the Syrians did not come again on raids into the land of Israel. Now there are at least two things in these verses that should shock us. First, the king of Israel, again, most likely the evil king, Jehorim, responds to Elisha by calling him "My father," a title of respect and deference. And even more surprisingly, the king asks the prophet, "What should I do?" Of course, the king's eagerness to be the winner here, to be the champion here, to be the victor here, and take credit for defeating the Syrian army comes out in that repeated phrase, "Shall I strike them down? Shall I strike them down?" The eagerness there in the language. But Elisha tells him no. And the king obeys. This should be shocking and surprising to us. What? The king has the power. The king has the authority. The king has the sword. The enemy is at his mercy. Yet here, the king submits to the word of God's prophets. Again, first surprise. Second surprise is even more shocking. No matter what culture. No matter what century. What follows is a utter shocker. Elisha says, do not kill them, feed them. These men came to capture Elisha. And now that God has completely delivered them into the Israelites' hands. Elisha says, set bread and water before them. And the king doesn't merely give them bread and water. It says he prepares a great feast. Wow. They came to capture it. And instead they are fed. They came as enemies. But now they are guests at the king's great feast. Perhaps there's some slight trick going on here. Like in the Odyssey, they're well fed and then only to be fed to wild animals. Maybe that's what's going on here. No. Perhaps the final surprise is that after they eat and drink the king of Israel, let's them go. The king sends them home. And the surprising act of Israel's king leaves an impact. At least for a time period. As we're told in verse 23, the Syrians did not come again on raids into the land of Israel. Follow me now. I'm almost done. But as I shared earlier, that period of peace is temporary. It doesn't last long because right in the next verse, in verse 24, Benadad, the king of Syria, musters his entire army to besiege Samaria. What is going on here? We just learned about God's sovereign knowledge and supernatural power. And the Syrians experience a surprising shocking grace from the Israelites. They had just been spared. They had just been fed, they had been sent home. But Syria comes back with an even greater attack. Not merely a raid, but a siege that will bring a horrific famine to the city of Samaria. So what is this all about? Was Elisha and the king of Israel suckers for letting them go? Letting the enemy army go when God had delivered them into their hands? Was that their mistake? More than that. Perhaps the question did God abandon his people after this event and his prophet? More than that did God lose his knowledge and his power was God himself caught off guard by this siege? Brothers and sisters, I don't think I need to belabor the point. The answer to all three questions is a resounding no. The whole purpose of the passage is to set up this surprising shocker at the end. The irony of reversals is not what happens or doesn't happen to Israel at all. The irony of all ironies, the reversal of all reversals is that the sovereign ruler over all the one who has sovereign knowledge, the one who is the source of all supernatural power extends surprising grace to his enemies. Opens the eyes of the spiritually blind to the truth of who he is and who we are in light of him. I hope you see it through this passage. We are the nameless servant in shuddering fear. We are the spiritually blind Syrian soldiers led to slaughter. We are the snooty king thirsty for blood thinking we deserve a victory. Friends, the point of this passage is to remind us that we are the ones who are spiritually blind who cannot see the truths, the reality of God. God at work who can't see God's angel army protecting his people. We can't see the truth and the promise of God at work even in suffering, even in defeat, even in tragedies, even when enemies surround because the purpose of this life is not for us to get the wins, to get the big W's. The purpose of this life, friends, is not for us to win, but for us to die, die to ourselves and live to him. Brothers and sisters, guests and visitors, this is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's the best news you will ever hear. It's the surprising grace of God. This is the gospel respite before suffering and hardship and obstacle continues to surround and press in the people of God. Here's knowledge, here's power, here's grace to carry you through and persevere you to the end. There came centuries after Elisha and the king of Israel, you see a greater prophet and a greater king who would also be surrounded by armed men who came to capture him. In the Garden of Gethsemiti, Jesus is surrounded by armed soldiers. When Peter pulls out a sword to defend him, Jesus said in Matthew 26.53 that I cited earlier, "Do you not think that I can appeal to my father and he will at once send me more than 12 legions of angels?" Friends, do you see it? Jesus is not surprised. Jesus is not powerless. The one being surrounded was actually the one with all the power. He could have destroyed all his enemies, but he didn't. Why? Because Jesus does something far greater than what Elisha does in 2 Kings 6. Elisha feeds and sends his enemies home, but Jesus dies for his enemies. Romans 5, 10, "For while we were sinners, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, friends, that is the surprising, shocking, stunning grace of God." Because the Bible says our greatest problem is not ultimately the enemies around us. Our greatest enemy is the sin within us. It's our own rebellion against God. We have sinned against the God who made us. We have rejected his righteous rule every single day rather than loving and submitting to the Creator. We loved creation, created things more than him, and because God is holy and just he cannot simply pretend that our sin doesn't matter. Remember the intro? Love cannot simply ignore evil. And God does not ignore it. At the cross, perfect love and perfect justice meet. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, lived the sinless life we fail to live. And on the cross, He gave His own life as a substitute sacrifice for our sins on our behalf. He bore the judgment that we deserved in eternal hell. In our place, He stood condemned. But that's not the end of the story, is it? On the third day, He rose again because God accepted His perfect sacrifice. He conquered sins, Satan, and death once and for all, so that enemies could be reconciled. That rebels could be forgiven. Sinners could be children of God. It's a friend if you are here and you are not a Christian. Or you are not sure that you are. Do you understand? Do you understand what God is offering you in Jesus Christ? Not because you have been good enough. Not because you have cleaned yourself up. Not because you can somehow make yourself worthy. The gospel is good news. It's announcement that God has made a way for his enemies to be reconciled to him. So turn today from your sins. Believe that Jesus Christ died and rose again for you. Trust him today by stop trusting in yourself. All of us are praying for you this morning that God would give you eyes to see the truth of the gospel today. Romans 116 says the gospel is the power unto salvation. You need no other power today to be saved from your sins and your spiritual blindness. The power is in shearing and receiving this glorious gospel saying not me, but you. Yes, Lord, I will follow you. He is the man we should look to and follow. Amen. Romans 832 says he who did not spare his own son but gave him up for a soul. How will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Friend, what is it that you seek this morning if you are not a Christian? What is it that you seek ultimately? Is it perhaps to be loved truly, to be known completely, to be understood, to be accepted? The world can't give you that. Your own parents can't give you that. Only a gracious God can give you all things. He gave his son for you. He gave his all for you. So here is his invitation. Hear it and receive it. Pray yourself that you may see. May today be the day that you surrender to the Lord of Heavenly Host. The Lord of angel, armies, may today be the day you finally find rest in him and find peace and shallow. Your NCBC family every Sunday we gather is a gospel respite. Every day you open up the word to read it and pray through it is a gospel respite. May he give you eyes to see his sovereign knowledge, his supernatural power, his surprising grace at work in you. Even in the midst, even in the face of enemy's threats that he who is in you is greater than he that is in the world and that if God is for you, nothing. No one can be against you. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for this shocking reminder that the God of the universe, creator of all things, sustainer of every soul loves his enemies. Father, we can't make this up. The world can't make this stuff up. This is shocking and stunning. We only distinctly Christian truth the gospel, the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. Father, thank you that you have opened many of our eyes to see and know and believe in this truth. We pray right now in this moment if there's anybody who do not see this truth, who does not believe this truth, who does not know this truth, open their eyes right now that they may see how glorious, how beautiful, how wonderful, how gracious, how mighty and sovereign you are. Father may they not delay, may they not hesitate any longer in surrendering to you and turning to you and worshiping you as the King of kings, Lord of lords. Hallelujah. We praise you. What a privilege. What a joy in Christ. Amen.