2 Kings 6:13 - Meaning and Application

Here is the first thing to notice, the large force the king of Syria sent to capture Elisha. He found out where Elisha was, at Dothan (2 Kings 6:13), not far from Samaria, and sent a great army there. They were to strike by night and bring Elisha back, dead or alive (2 Kings 6:14). Maybe he had heard that when only one captain and fifty men were sent against Elijah, the attempt failed. So he sent an army against Elisha, as if the same fire from heaven could not destroy 50,000 as easily as fifty.

Naaman could have told him that Elisha lived in no fortress, had no bodyguards, and did not depend on the favor of the people. So why such a huge force? The king hoped to make sure of him, especially by surprise. Foolish man. Did he believe Elisha had told the king of Israel his secret plans or not? If not, what quarrel did he have with him? If so, could he really think Elisha would not expose the plots laid against himself? And since Elisha had enough influence in heaven to reveal them, would he not also have enough to defeat them? Those who fight against God, his people, and his prophet do not understand what they are doing.

Second, there was the great fear of the prophet’s servant, when he saw the city surrounded by the Syrians, and the wise way Elisha calmed him. Elisha seems to have trained his servant to rise early, since that is a good way to get work done and make use of the day. When he got up, he likely heard the soldiers and saw the army surrounding the city (2 Kings 6:15), sure of success and ready to take this troublesome prophet.

Notice how frightened he became. He ran at once to Elisha and said, “Alas, master, what will we do?” He felt helpless. He thought there was no point in fighting or running, because they would surely fall into the enemy’s hands. If he had read David’s Psalms, which already existed, he might have learned not to fear ten thousand people, or even an army camped against him (Psalm 3:6; Psalm 27:3). If he had remembered that he was with Elisha, the man through whom God had done great things, he would not have been so shaken. God would not now let his prophet fall into the hands of the uncircumcised. The servant should have said, “What will I do?” like the disciples, “Lord, save us, we are perishing.” But he did not need to include his master in the panic, or say, “What will we do?”

Elisha quieted him in two ways. First, by words. What he said in 2 Kings 6:16 is meant for all God’s servants when there is trouble outside and fear inside: “Do not be afraid.” Do not give way to the kind of fear that brings terror and confusion. Those with us, who protect us, are more than those against us, who try to destroy us. There are angels, far more numerous, and God is infinitely more powerful. When fear grows large in our minds, we need to fill our hearts with clear, great, and high thoughts of God and the unseen world. If God is for us, we know what follows (Romans 8:31).

Second, Elisha comforted him by a vision (2 Kings 6:17). Elisha cared deeply that his servant should be reassured. Good people do not want peace only for themselves. They want those around them to be at peace too. Elisha had recently lost his old servant, and this one had only just come into his service, so he did not yet have much experience. Elisha wanted to give him a clear proof of God’s power, the same power that worked through him and for him. Those whose faith is strong should be gentle with those who are weak and easily frightened, and they should do what they can to strengthen them.

Elisha already saw himself safe, and he wanted his servant to see what he saw, a guard of angels around them. The convoy that would lead his master to heaven was also his protection against the enemy. He saw chariots of fire and horses of fire. Fire is both frightening and consuming, and the power that guarded Elisha could also terrify and destroy the attackers. Just as angels are God’s messengers, they are also his soldiers, his hosts (Genesis 32:2), his legions, or regiments (Matthew 26:53), working for the good of his people.

For the servant to be comforted, nothing more was needed than for his eyes to be opened. Elisha prayed for that, and it was granted: “Lord, open his eyes that he may see.” His bodily eyes were already open, and they showed him the danger. Elisha wanted the eyes of his faith opened, so he could see the protection around them. The greatest kindness we can do for fearful, faint-hearted people is to pray for them and put them into God’s strong grace. And when God opens our eyes, our fears lose much of their power. We are most easily frightened when it is dark. The clearer our view of heaven’s rule and power, the less we fear the troubles of this world.

Third, there was the shameful defeat Elisha brought on the Syrian army that came to seize him. They thought to make him their prey, but he made fools of them. He was so far from fearing them, or any harm from them, that he completely outmatched them.

He prayed that God would strike them with blindness, and they were struck blind at once, not fully unable to see, and not even aware that they were blind. They could still see light, but their sight was so confused that they could not recognize the people or places they had known before (2 Kings 6:18). They were so bewildered that those who had been trusted for directions no longer knew this was Dothan or that this was Elisha. They groped at noon like men in the night (Isaiah 59:10; Job 12:24-25). Their memory failed, and so did their power to tell one thing from another.

See God’s power over human minds and understanding in both directions. He opened the eyes of Elisha’s friend, and he darkened the eyes of his enemies, so that they could see, but not understand (Isaiah 6:9). Christ came into the world for this twofold judgment, that those who do not see might see, and those who think they see might become blind (John 9:39). To some, he is a smell of life. To others, a smell of death.

When they were confused and lost, Elisha led them to Samaria (2 Kings 6:19). He had promised to show them the man they were looking for, and he did. He did not lie when he said, “This is not the way, and this is not the city where Elisha is,” because he had come out of the city, and if they wanted to see him, they would have to go to another city where he would lead them. Those who fight against God and his prophets end up deceiving themselves, and God justly gives them over to their own delusions.

When Elisha had brought the Syrians to Samaria, he prayed that God would open their eyes and restore their memory so they could see where they were (2 Kings 6:20). Then, to their great fear, they found themselves in the middle of Samaria, probably surrounded by enough soldiers to capture or kill them all. Satan, the god of this world, blinds people and leads them into their own ruin. But when God gives light, they see that they are in the middle of their enemies, held by Satan and in danger of hell, even though they once thought all was well.

The enemies of God and his church often think they are about to win, but they will find themselves defeated and overthrown. When Elisha had them in his power, he showed that he was guided by both divine goodness and divine power. He did not need an angel’s sword to defend God’s cause, because the sword of the king of Israel was available if he chose to use it (2 Kings 6:21). The king, speaking respectfully, asked Elisha, “My father, shall I strike them? Shall I strike them?” He may have remembered that God had once been angry with his father for letting go of men whom God had placed in his power to destroy, and he did not want to make the same mistake.

Yet the king also showed deep respect for the prophet, since he would not strike a blow without Elisha’s approval. But the prophet would not let him harm them at all. They had been brought there to be convinced and humbled, not killed (2 Kings 6:22). If they had been captured in battle by sword and bow, it would have been cruel to deny them mercy when they asked for it, and dishonest to harm them after promising it. It would also have gone against the rules of war to kill men after they had been taken prisoner. But they were not the king’s prisoners. They were God’s prisoners, and Elisha’s, so he must do them no harm. Those who humble themselves under God’s hand take the safest path.

Elisha also made sure they were provided for, telling the king to feed them well and then send them away safely, which he did (2 Kings 6:23). It was the king’s credit that he obeyed the prophet, even though it went against his own wishes and, it seemed, against his own interests (1 Samuel 24:19). He was so eager to please Elisha that, though he was told to set bread and water before them, which would have been simple food for captives, he prepared a large feast instead, for the honor of his court, his country, and Elisha.

It was also Elisha’s credit that he was so generous to his enemies. Though they had come to seize him, they could not leave without admiring him as both the most powerful and the kindest man they had ever met. The duty of loving enemies and doing good to those who hate us was commanded in the Old Testament (Proverbs 25:21-22, Exodus 23:4-5), and Elisha practiced it here. His predecessor had shown divine justice when he called down fire on his persecutors to destroy them. Elisha, by contrast, showed divine mercy by heaping kindness on his persecutors to soften them. So let us not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

This had a good effect on the Syrians for the time being. They did not come into Israel again on this mission, to capture Elisha (2 Kings 6:23). They saw that trying to seize him was useless, and none of their bands could be persuaded to attack such a great and good man. The most glorious victory over an enemy is to turn him into a friend.