“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered, “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
~ 2 Kings 6:12
Hi James and Ellen,
What is the greatest thing that you think that God can do? Do you think that there is a limit at what God can do? Have you ever asked God to do something impossible and it happened – like having God make an iron ax head to float that had fallen into a river or having God let you know what is going to happen next or . . . Elisha knew that God could and would do anything if . . . your grandpaa really likes Elisha. When your grandmaa and grandpaa went to Guatemala earlier this year with your dad’s Uncle Perry and Aunt Pam and with two other couples, your grandpaa during each devotional time focused on the life of Elisha and on incidents that involved Elisha. The day that Elijah stopped Elisha to ask Elisha to join him so that he could mentor Elisha to become when he was no longer living on planet Earth the lead prophet for the guys and gals who were living in the land area of Israel, Elisha was plowing his dad’s field with a pair of oxen. Because Elisha was the twelfth guy in a line of guys who were using pairs of oxen to plow Elisha’s dad’s field, one can make the assumption that Elisha’s dad was a rich dude. Elisha did not hesitate though to do what Elijah asked him to do; Elisha left his dad and everything that goes with having a lot of money to become Elijah’s servant helper in order to learn from Elijah how to be a prophet. Elisha became the lead prophet for the guys and gals who were living in the land area of Israel right after his mentor – Elijah, was given a chariot ride directly into heaven. Over Elisha’s lifetime as the lead prophet for the guys and gals who were living in the land area of Israel, Elisha appealed to God a number of times to help him or to resolve a variety of issues. The historian who scribed the Kings Books recounts in 2 Kings 6 a couple of these times. One of these times was when a prophet who belonged to a company of communal prophets had the iron ax head that he had borrowed accidentally fall into the Jordon River’s fast moving waters. After the panicking prophet told Elisha what had just happened – as the guy was seeing himself having to work off the cost of the expensive ax head that he had borrowed – which he really did not want to do, Elisha tossed a stick into the water where the iron ax head had fallen – which resulted in the iron ax head floating to the surface. Elisha told the guy to lift the floating iron ax head out of the water – which he did.
Elisha’s relationship with God was a really special one. Besides being able to ask God to do the unusual and having it happen – such as making an iron ax head float on water, God would clue Elisha in on what was taking place around him – such as the time when the Aramean army planned an attack on Israelite people group guys and gals who were living in the land area of Israel. God told Elisha where the Aramean king – who was very possibly Ben-Hadad II, and his army were going to set up camp. Elisha told the king – who was quite probably Joram, who was reigning over the Israelite people group guys and gals where the Aramean army was going to set up camp. The king who ruled over the Israelite people group guys and gals had his army set up camp at the same site where God told Elisha that the Aramean army was going to set up camp. When the Aramean king was told that the guy was Elisha who gave the king who reigned over the Israelite people group guys and gals the heads up as to where he was going to set up his camp, the Aramean king decided to take out Elisha by killing him. When Elisha’s servant woke up one morning to find that the town where he and Elisha were hanging out in was encircled by a strong force of enemy Aramean soldiers on horses and in chariots, what do you think happened next? Elisha told the guy not to panic. Verse 16 has Elisha saying, “‘Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered, “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”’ God opened the eyes of Elisha’s servant to see that the hills that were around the town where he and Elisha were staying were covered with horses and chariots of fire. God would blind the Aramean soldiers so that they would not be able to see what would happen to them next.
Your grandpaa identifies with Elisha. Your grandpaa grew up on a farm that was located one mile west and two miles north of Volga, South Dakota. Your grandpaa is the oldest of six kids. Your grandpaa spent a lot of time when he was a kid working in his dad’s fields. Instead of using a pair of oxen to work the soil – like Elisha did to till his dad’s field, your grandpaa drove a tractor to till his dad’s fields. After your grandpaa spent two years as a student at Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa – where your grandpaa met a very beautiful gal from Wilmington, Delaware who was willing to marry your grandpaa, your grandpaa had no desire to go back to Volga to help his dad farm his land. After your grandmaa and grandpaa had been married for ten years, your grandpaa left a job that he liked in Aberdeen, South Dakota so that he could study fulltime at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois. After about three months of living in a house on Chicago’s west side, your grandmaa and grandpaa had used up all their money and they were very close to running out of food. An embalmer went to the same church – Northwest Alliance, where your grandmaa and grandpaa were attending. The wife of the embalmer – who your grandmaa had gotten to know, and the wife of a funeral home director – who your grandmaa and grandpaa had never met, showed up one day at the house where your grandmaa and grandpaa were living with bags and bags of food and other essentials that were badly needed. Your grandmaa, grandpaa, dad and Aunt Lynn would end up living in a funeral home – where your grandmaa and grandpaa were the caretakes, because . . . look around you right now. Do you see horses and chariots of fire fighting for you against your enemies who are all around you? They are there – you just cannot see them.
2 Kings 6 (699)