Our Awesome God
“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says:
Jeremiah 30:2 NIV
‘Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you.'”
I love journals! I have a Scripture writing journal, a Holy Spirit journal, a Bible study journal, a prayer journal, a sermon notes journal, and a couple of weekly guided journals that I regularly work on, plus a lot of other journals waiting to be finished . . . okay, I admit it’s a bit of an obsession, but hopefully, it’s a positive one. (By the way, the image above is a picture of my actual journal collection!) The topic for this week is “Our Awesome God” and is based on 2 Kings 6:8-23. This story, simply titled “Elisha Traps Blinded Arameans” in my NIV Student Bible, is one of my favorites. It reminds us that God’s amazing power is always there, even when we can’t see it.
Rather than just quoting this passage straight from the Bible, I thought it might be fun to do something a little different. Several years ago, I wrote a very short story in my creative writing journal (one of my many journals-in-progress) about the prophet Elisha based on 2 Kings 2:23-25. I put a fantasy spin on it, using new names and places and changing some of the details. For this post, I decided to do the same thing. I wrote another story in the same setting about Elisha, or Eli as I called him, for 2 Kings 6:8-23. I have posted it below. You might want to take a few minutes to read the Scripture passage before you read my story, just to give you some background. I had fun writing this story. I hope you enjoy reading it!
~ Vision ~
The Ailian royal guard proceeded cautiously along the eastern road as they escorted King Jiran from Samar, the capital city, to the city of Bashi. The air was hot in the midday sun, and the soldiers kicked up clouds of dust as they walked. They had just entered the hill country, and the road began to climb. A young soldier slowed his pace to wipe the sweat from his eyes, lowering his shield for only a moment.
“Keep up!” Melzedek, the commander of the guard began to scold him, but it was too late. An arrow, shot from the hills east of the road, pierced the young soldier’s neck. At the same time, Surni raiders, hidden in the nearby tall grass, erupted from their hiding places and pounced on the Ailian soldiers.
“Ambush!” the commander shouted. “Guard the king!” Suddenly, the routine escort assignment became a fight for survival. Enemy raiders appeared on all sides, viciously assaulting the Ailian guard with swords and spears while the archers continued their deadly barrage of arrows from the hills. The well-trained soldiers did their best to fend off the raiders, but they were far outnumbered and unprepared for such a brutal attack. They fought bravely, but it was no use. The chaos was over almost as suddenly as it had begun, and all the Ailian soldiers lay dead or dying on the road.
Commander Melzedek was the last to fall. He now lay helpless in the dirt as King Jiran was beaten, bound, and carried away as a prize for the king of Surn. “My king!” he tried to shout, but he hadn’t enough strength left. As a commander in the Ailian royal guard, Melzedek had vowed to give his life to keep his king safe, but now all was lost. “No,” he whispered with his dying breath.
Eli awoke from the dream with a start, his heart pounding in his chest. He knew this was more than just a dream. It was another vision from God. King Jiran was in immediate danger. Eli’s room was dark, but he could see the sky beginning to lighten through the open window. It was almost dawn. There was still time to warn the king. He sat up and called out to his apprentice. “Hazi, come quickly!”
Hazi appeared at the door, still in his nightclothes. “Yes, my lord. I am here.”
“I have an urgent message for the king,” Eli instructed. “The enemy plans an ambush in the hill country along the eastern road. He must take a different route to Bashi. Go immediately! You must warn him.”
“Yes, my lord! It will be done.” Hazi hurried from Eli’s quarters. Soon Eli heard Hazi’s footsteps as he rushed out the door and ran toward the road. Eli knew he could count on Hazi to deliver the message. He bowed his head and offered a prayer for his young apprentice. Creator, please watch over Hazi as he does Your work, and keep us safe from evil forces who seek to destroy us. Give us Your strength and show us Your way.
King Zadael of Surn paced angrily in his tent at the Surni camp near the failed ambush site. He was surrounded by his advisors, who were silently enduring his tirade. “Which one of you is spying for Ailia?” he accused. “This is the fourth time the enemy has received information about our plans! Why did King Jiran change his route today? Who told him to avoid this road? Confess now and your life will be the only one taken. Stay silent and you will all die! I will not tolerate a traitor among my men!”
The men shifted uneasily and looked at each other. The only sound was the flapping of the tent fabric in the hot afternoon wind. The silence shifted from awkward to unbearable. Finally, Hamir, the senior military commander, spoke up. “Sire, there is no spy. It is the Ailian prophet Eli. He sees everything, all your plans — even what you whisper in your own bedroom. Nothing is secret from him.”
“It’s true, my king!” the chief advisor concurred. “What Hamir says is right. I myself have seen the prophet Eli receive visions from his God. He sees everything we do. We would never betray you, my king. We are all loyal to you!” The other advisors nodded in agreement.
The king eyed each of his men carefully. He knew them all to be knowledgeable and trustworthy. They would have better sense than to betray him. “Very well,” he finally responded. “Where is the prophet Eli?”
“He is in the city of Dalen, my king,” Hamir replied.
King Zadael of Surn would not be made a fool of again. He began to formulate a new plan. “Get my chariot ready,” he ordered. “We will return to the palace so that you can prepare the troops. Send three divisions of fighting men to Dalen, along with my best division of rangers and my finest regiment of charioteers. Go tonight under cover of darkness and surround the city. Capture the prophet Eli and bring him to me.”
Hazi awakened early and began his daily chores. Master Eli would be up soon and there was much to do. Enjoying the coolness of the morning, he began his morning walk to the well to draw water for the wash basins. As he walked along the stone path, he reflected on yesterday’s events. Master Eli’s dream had caused quite a stir in the royal palace. The moment Hazi had appeared at the city gate in Samar, he was recognized as an apprentice of Eli and taken straight to King Jiran. When Hazi delivered his message of warning to the king, Commander Melzedek of the royal guard began formulating a new plan at once. They would take the long route to Bashi and avoid the eastern road. The king would be safe from the Surni raiders.
Hazi was still amazed at the way God spoke to Master Eli. Hazi hoped he would be a chosen prophet of the Creator someday. For now, he was proud to serve Master Eli as an apprentice. He would learn all he could and be ready should God call him. Creator, I am Your humble servant. Use me as You will to do Your work. Give me Your strength and show me Your way. A flash of light from the hills outside the city walls caught Hazi’s eye. He looked more closely. The early morning sunlight was reflecting off of something in the distance. Hazi dropped the water bucket and ran back to the house. He quickly climbed the steps to the roof for a closer look. All around the city he saw . . . Hazi gasped. “Master Eli!” Hazi heard the fear in his own voice. “Master Eli! Come quickly, please. The city is surrounded! The Surni army is here to attack us!”
Time seemed to stop as Hazi stood staring out at the enemy soldiers. He had never seen such a strong force. There were thousands of them . . . foot soldiers, rangers, chariots . . . He was terrified. Finally, he heard Master Eli coming up the steps. “It’s alright, my son. Don’t be afraid.” Eli reached the rooftop and walked over to stand next to Hazi.
“But Master, the enemy is all around us. What shall we do? We won’t survive!” Hazi was beginning to panic now. There was no way to escape.
“Have faith, child.” Eli gestured toward the hills. “Those who are with us are more than those who are against us.” Hazi saw only enemy forces in the hills. What was Master Eli talking about? Then Eli prayed: “Creator, open his eyes and let him see.”
Immediately the hillsides were filled with the brightest light Hazi had ever seen. He shielded his eyes until they adjusted. Then he saw thousands upon thousands of horses and chariots glowing as though on fire. They were everywhere! They surrounded the city as well as the enemy forces, but the Surni army didn’t seem to notice them. The sight of them was both beautiful and frightening. Hazi dropped to his knees in awe and reverence. “Who are they, Master?” he asked softly.
“The angels of God, my son. They are always watching over us. You don’t have to be afraid.” Master Eli, prophet of God, walked to the edge of the roof. He held out his arms and prayed in a loud voice, “Creator, protect this city from the evil forces who seek to destroy us today!” Hazi watched as the Surni army crumbled into chaos and confusion. They screamed and began to stumble. The rangers fought to keep the horses under control.
“What’s happening, Master?” Hazi asked. “What’s wrong with them?”
“They have been struck blind. Come, we must go down and help them,” Eli answered. Help them? Hazi didn’t know what they were going to do, but he followed Master Eli down the steps and toward the city gate.
King Jiran was meeting with his advisors in the palace in Samar. “The Surni raids are continuing to be a problem,” his senior military commander was reporting. “The prophet Eli has provided warnings to prevent the most serious attacks, but the Surni continue to terrorize the outlying villages.”
“We must find a way to stop them for good,” the king replied. “What can be done?”
“We have brave fighting men, sire, but Surn has superior forces and skilled charioteers. We are no match for them in open battle. If not for Eli’s visions, our kingdom would have fallen by now.”
Suddenly, Melzedek burst into the room. “Sorry to interrupt, sire, but a large force of enemy raiders has been captured! They are at the front gate, being led by the prophet Eli.”
The room burst into a commotion of murmurs and exclamations. “Quiet!” King Jiran ordered. “Commander Melzedek, take me to the prophet.”
Melzedek and the king arrived at the city gate to find the prophet Eli, with his young apprentice, standing before a vast force of Surni raiders. The soldiers looked shaken and confused. They were holding on to one another as though terrified. And something about their eyes looked wrong. “What’s happened to them?” the king asked Melzedek.
“They appear to be blind, sire. All of them.”
“How can that be?” The king was bewildered. What could cause something like this? It had to be the prophet, but how could one man have so much power?
Just then, Eli raised his arms and prayed aloud, “Creator, restore the sight of these men. Open their eyes and let them see.” Immediately, the soldiers’ eyes cleared, and they began to look around. Some cheered, some wept, and some knelt on the ground, still shaken.
Amazed, the king instructed Melzedek, “Bring Eli to me.” Melzedek, speechless by the spectacle before him, nodded and quickly complied.
Eli and his apprentice appeared before the king and bowed. “Stand up, my friends,” he encouraged them. “It is I who should bow to you. You have delivered the enemy into our hands today. Please tell me what you wish me to do with them. Shall I have them put to death in your honor? Your glory would spread far and wide, and all our enemies would learn to fear us. We would become the strongest nation in this land.”
“No, my king. Do not kill them!” Eli rebuked him. “If the Creator wanted them dead, don’t you think He could have struck them down Himself? Instead, He has given us an opportunity to show them kindness. Prepare a feast for them, and then send them back to their homes as friends instead of enemies.”
The king was dumbfounded. No one else would dare speak to him this way, and showing hospitality to a force of enemy attackers was unheard of. But he knew the prophet Eli spoke for the one true God, the Creator of all things. He dare not defy the prophet’s instructions. “Very well, Master Eli, it will be done as you say.”
News of the blinded Surni soldiers and the God of Ailia traveled throughout the land. Never before had a fighting force been overcome in such a way. There was no battle, and there were no deaths. Instead, the soldiers’ sight was restored and they feasted with an enemy king. It was remarkable! And it worked. The kingdom of Surn never attacked Ailia again.
“‘Don’t be afraid,’ the prophet answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’
2 Kings 6:16-17 NIV
And Elisha prayed, ‘Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.’
Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”
I love the imagery in this Bible story! When Elisha’s servant is afraid, Elisha prays for the Lord to “open his eyes.” My Student Bible gives the following insights on this verse: ” . . . the servant could suddenly see that God’s forces, invisible to everyone else, far outnumbered the enemy. The story offers a rare glimpse of the ‘invisible world’ of supernatural forces. God has resources to help that we cannot see.” When I’m feeling overwhelmed or afraid, I like to think of this verse and picture “horses and chariots of fire” surrounding me and protecting me.
Later, Elisha prays for the sight of the attacking Arameans to be taken and then restored. This prevents their attack and allows them to be taken to the king of Israel. When they arrive in Samaria, instead of being killed, they are given a feast and then released to go back to their homes. The Student’s Commentary on the Holy Scriptures by George Williams describes the significance of this: “These men sought Elisha in order to destroy him; he meets their hatred with love and seats them at the banqueting table of that love, and the result is a change of action on their part.” The Arameans are given grace instead of punishment. Because of this, they stopped attacking Israel.
“So he prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master. So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel’s territory.”
2 Kings 6:23 NIV
As awe-inspiring as the image of thousands of “horses and chariots of fire” is, to me the most amazing part of this story is the fact that God’s overwhelming force of angels is not what defeated the Arameans. It was the mercy shown by Israel’s king. The king’s kindness is all it took to defeat the evil ways of his enemies. This is what God does for us through Christ. As sinners, we deserve to be treated as God’s enemies. But our all-powerful God, who commands multitudes of angels, offers us grace instead of punishment. He does this because of His love for us so that we can turn away from sin. How awesome is that!
“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”
Hebrews 12:28 NIV
This week’s Scripture passages focus on our awesome God! There is a printer-friendly pdf version below the image. “What can we ever say to such wonderful things as these? If God is on our side, who can ever be against us?” (Romans 8:31 TLB)
“I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart;
Psalm 9:1 NIV
I will tell of all your wonders.”
References:
- The New Student Bible, New International Version. Zondervan Publishing House, 1992.
- Williams, George. The Student’s Commentary on The Holy Scriptures. Kregel Publications, 1981.
Images:
- Fire Heart featured image by Gloria Williams from Pixabay
- Journal Collection image by me (Christa)
- Divider Calligraphy image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay
- Sunset image by David Mark from Pixabay
- Fire Horse image by Erkut2 from Pixabay
- Journal image by Hilary Clark from Pixabay
About The Author
Christa
My vision for Wondertakings was to create a devotional blog for "nerdy" Christians like me. I do believe, as Socrates said, that wisdom begins in wonder. So I love to read or watch anything that inspires wonder and figure out what I can learn from it. I view it all through a Christian lens. I believe that God can and does speak through many sources in many ways, even if those speaking are not aware of it. I am not an expert in theology or religious studies. My goal with this blog is simply to share what I've learned as a fellow student and sinner in the Christian walk. My hope and my prayer is that by doing so I may be able to help someone else. In Deuteronomy 5:33 (NLT), we are told: "Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives. . . ." So in the words of Moses (and Spock), live long and prosper, my friends!
Comment
Thank you,Christa, for such a beautiful interpretation of such a magical story. I love how the King of Israel deferred to Elisha’s instructions regarding the captives, against his own instinctive reaction, demonstrating trust and obedience. May we all learn to step out in such faith when God’s instructions are not what we expect. I have always been fascinated by how He reveals and conceals Himself and His handiwork to us in stages,according to His will and in His time. How many wonders and gifts do I miss by not paying close enough attention? Your story captured that sense of breathtaking awe of glimpsing God’s power, revealed and hidden by turns, yet always present. Open our eyes, Lord… Strengthen our resolve to seek and follow You. You alone are God.
Amen!