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[Music] as it may be reading too much into it to suggest it was a family dwelling it was more than likely a meeting place a place where these prophets gathered together for instruction for encouragement for edification so the plan is to go to the Jordan whatever and let us make there a place where we may dwell and many of the commentators the older ones note that these men were not only given to the prophetic ministry but they could the the sort of Providence of God already foreshadowed in verse 3 now there are instances and I'm sure you can testify to it in your own life where something happens that seems trivial and insignificant and then later on some big event happens and then you're able to look back at the little thing and say well if that had never happened and it would have not been the case that it happened like that in the big thing I think that's something very typical we saw that in chapter 5 if you go back there for just a moment remember chapter 5 records the conversion of naman he was the are a commander of the army of Syria it was an honorable man a great man a a noble mighty man of Valor but he was a leper and the way that he comes into contact with Elisha who is the instrument under God to bring healing to naman is through the testimony of a servant girl so verse 2 in chapter 5 excuse me is a little detail that sets the stage for everything that is to follow so in 5:2 it says the Syrians had gone out on raids and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel she waited on naimans wife and then she speaks to her mistress and says there is a cure available through the God of Israel specifically find his prophet Elijah so the testimony of this servant girl was the means by which God brings naman to this not only physical healing but I would submit spiritual healing in terms of conversion to Christ in the Old Testament the same sort of thing is here notice in verse 3 then one said after Elisha gives them permission to go to the Jordan and make this new dwelling place the answers go then one of this one said please consent to go with your servants and he answered I will go again that's a bit of foreshadowing Providence or the the demonstration of God's providence putting everything into place that will need to be in place so that good things may come to pass it's a small insignificant detail Elijah could have said no I'd rather stay here Elijah sure could have said I have to go to the grocery store I got to do my banking today I got to go online and pay my bills he could have said any of those kinds of things but no he goes he concedes and this places him at the right place at the right time now notice the power of God in verses 4 to 7 verse 4 says he went with them when they came to the Jordan they cut down trees all according to plan but verse 5 introduces a problem or attention but his one was cutting down a tree the iron axe head fell into the water and he cried out and said alas master for it was borrowed now when we read something like this the typical response is probably we'll just go down to the Home Depot and buy another one well life wasn't so simple back then and I think we forget that we look at something like this and we think what's the big deal it was only an accent it's a big deal if you're a poor prophet I mean he was so poor he couldn't own his own act he had to borrow an axe so he didn't have money falling out of his pockets to replace this in fact one man makes this observation he says we are worlds away from Israel in the ninth century BC we usually date the beginning of the Iron Age to around 1200 BC we know that it for at least a time in Israel at least a time Israel lagged behind her neighbours in developing the technology to exploit this metal you can see that first Samuel 13 iron implements would have been tremendously expensive many hours of labor would have been required to gather the wood for fires to refine the ore and then to shape and sharpen the tool there was not much discretionary income in ancient Israel losing a borrowed axe head then would be copper - wrecking a borrowed car today so it's not just some simple thing count your loss move on find another accents and fell some trees this is a real problem the profit has a real issue and he says to the Prophet Elisha alas master for it was borrow now notice the response of Elisha the man of God said where did it fall we have seen that Elisha is not omniscient we've seen that Elisha is indeed of a powerful mighty man of God God's hand rests firmly upon him he uses Elisha to do tremendous things but Elisha doesn't know everything he doesn't know all the ins and outs he's not clairvoyant he hasn't got some sort of supernatural gift that he can peer into the Jordan and see the axe head there lying at the bottom so he asks him where did it fall and he showed him the place so he cut off a stick and threw it in there and he made the iron float I like the way the King James renders in it it swam to the stick therefore he said pick it up for yourself so he reached out his hand and took it now what is the purpose of this brief narrative again it's couched in the larger context of the miracles of Elisha basically we see a segment of Elijah's ministry in which he shows God's power is triumphal triumphant over death remember he alleviates the problem of that Widow in chapter 4 God has power over death remember in chapter 4 verses 8 to 37 he raises the shunammite widow of the shunammite son rather he shows God's power over drought in two particular episodes disease with reference to naman and here with reference to difficulty this was a real problem for this poor prophet didn't we looked at this we say oh yeah no big deal just go find another axe so what are we supposed to make of this well there are several ways that the commentators approach this brief section of narrative there are those who try and rationalize it they suggest that there was such up an impact of Elijah's ministry upon Israel that a whole lot of folklore rose up and a lot of legend attached itself to the Elijah story and they began to ascribe to Elijah powers and abilities and miracles and all that sort of thing so those who rationalize this particular passage say something like Elijah took the stick and poked it into the water found a hole in the accent and was able to fish it out or Elijah took the stick he found the accent on the on the base of the floor rather of the Jordan and he sort of shimmied it over in the shallower waters so that the fellow could pick it up these are the same sorts of guys that read Jesus miracle is feeding of the of the 5000 and say the the real miracle that day was that the boy who had the fishes and the loaves was willing to share and that that moved upon everybody else to take from their own supply and start sharing with others I'm not kidding you that's the way people treat Sacred Scripture oftentimes under the name of Christianity you need to be aware of this that there are those who reject the supernatural element in the Bible and certainly if they're gonna do that with reference to Jesus and His miracles they're gonna do that with reference to Elijah and say it's legendary it's folklore it's all these things that have attached themselves to the Elijah narrative there are those who a lager eyes it they say something like this these are persons typically that have more commitment to Sacred Scripture but allegorized attacks to try and find a bit of a hidden meaning or a deeper meaning a more thorough going spiritual meaning and with reference to the allegorical method some suggest the axe head is the soul of man the Jordan is the waters of judgment and the wood is representative of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ and so that would comes into the water and the soul of man there must then reach out and take it that so Elijah tells the man to pick it up for yourself so he aged out his hand and took it so the response of faith is emphasized here in this story that those who are dead in their trespasses and sins in the waters of judgment at the Jordan seeing that cross of Christ represented by the stick then reach out their hands and take it again that is to do serious serious harm to the text of Scripture why can't we have a pleasant story where God restores an axe head to a fellow that's poor why is that not spiritual why is that not rewarding why is that not enriching because I think we categorize miracles the big ones demand our attention the little ones it really doesn't matter what's happening there what we need to do is peer beyond the surface and find some hidden meaning but there are also others that moralize the tax description and essentially moralizing is is to find ethical lessons we need to find ethical lessons and so this passage affords at least a couple in the first place we ought not to build larger churches we ought to be content with the meeting places we have if we outgrow them we ought to be content to sort of shove in there all the more it was wrong for them to want to go to cut down these trees and to build a larger meeting place another moral lesson and the stories don't borrow your neighbors stuff because if you borrow your neighbors stuff you may lose it or you may break it and that's not a good thing no I personally think that might not be a bad lesson I don't like to borrow stuff whenever I do it inevitably breaks or I lose it and I don't like that sort of feeling but I wouldn't go to second King six to sort of rationalize or justify my position on not wanting to borrow stuff but that's a whole different way to approach the tax than the way that we ought to approach the tax the correct view the Lord God of Israel is concerned with the small stuff in the lives of his people having studied chapter four I think we can all appreciate that he cares for the widow via oil he cares for the shunammite via raising her son from the debt he cares for persons that that are hungry he cares for persons that have bad water he cares for persons that are in situations that seem desperate and most difficult God the Lord Stoops down to help his hurting people wherever they may be and notice that this servant of this prophet rather is never named carrying on the scene that God helps nobodies God helps no names God comes to a leave this poor prophet of the added burden of now going out to work so that he could find the money to replace the accent and and and make things right with the guy who loaned it to him the and and it's also very intriguing intriguing when we consider where six one to seven is located I mean what precedes it the salvation and the healing of naman the leper what follows it a Syrian incursion into Israel to make war against the land but it's as if the author says but I want you to notice this in between the conversion of Syria of naming and this incursion God really did a solid for this guy who lost his accent isn't God wonderful isn't God glorious we oftentimes forget that Providence is really providing is in debt he provides for us as he is a merciful God now I suspect this poor prophet would affirm Westminster Shorter Catechism number 11 God's works of Providence are his most holy wise and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures and all their actions I'm certain he would say yes I agree with you on that but I suspect his definition of Providence would have been a little more simple Elijah came with us he threw a stick into the water and the axe head floated up to it that's God's works of Providence he saved me a great deal of hardship and turmoil of having to work to get the money in order to pay back the debt to the person whose acts had I lost it's a blessed and wonderful thing to see God's work in the details of his people's lives now notice as well or secondly the miraculous capture of the Syrians this is a most intriguing passage because it's most exciting God shows his Majesty his glory his power his excellence and dare I say his interestingness in accounts like these it really is genuinely interesting don't ever let anybody tell Bibles boring those are that that's a statement said by people who don't read the Bible how do you not read 2nd Kings chapter 6 1 2 23 and not be gripped and not stand in awe of God notice in the first place the knowledge of Elijah in verses 8 to 13 I've mentioned in the last section he doesn't know everything but he certainly knows a lot of things and he knows the plans of the king of Syria verse 8 tells us the king of Syria was making war against Israel and he consulted with his servant saying my camp will be in such-and-such a place now this camp was no doubt a place in Israel in the territory wherein they could launch ambushes against Israel Israelite troops and people he was going to set up at a stronghold within the the nation of Israel so that he could destroy from within the various people in that particular region now notice Elijah's instruction which shows us his knowledge in verse 9 the man of God sent to the king of Israel saying beware that you do not pass this place for the Syrians are coming down there notice he knows the king of syria's plan notice that Elijah has that knowledge when I told how it was communicated were not told that you know there was a carrier pigeon that came and dropped a note into his lap and no it was supernatural God the Lord gave him this understanding of what was happening in this particular instance so he knows of the plan he informs the king of Israel and the king of Israel has that place secure notice in verse 10 the king of Israel sent someone to the place of which the man of God had told them thus he warned him and he was watchful there not just once or twice or it's a place was secure the king of Syria was not able to seize it he was not able to carry out his plans he was not able to engage in these ambushes against the troops this is a good thing Elijah thwarted the very plan of the king of Syria to come and decimate the nation again what is God highlighting over and over again in these former prophets and the narratives one after another it's the Word of God it's the prophetic voice that stabilizes the nation it's the prophetic word that protects the nation it's the prophetic word that keeps the nation in check in some Elisha is Israel's best and first line of defense this is what the text highlights for us now notice the frustration of the king of Syria he suspects he has a traitor in the midst you can understand why can't you he consults with his servants he doesn't broadcast this he doesn't tell Elijah he doesn't know how it could possibly be the case that the king of Israel has headed him off at the pass has secured the area has kept it from becoming a Syrian stronghold a place from which he could launch these ambushes he suspects he's got a traitor yet yet you get that don't you verse 11 the heart of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing I think he's you imagine this you give Intel to your servants we're going to secure this particular place and when you go to secure that particular place the king of Israel has somebody securing it you would suspect that somebody in your ranks had betrayed you and that's precisely what's happening notice and he called his servants and said to them will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel towards one of you has tipped my hand and is told the king of Israel what my plans and intentions were this is a death-penalty offense for whatever servant is found guilty this is treason against the nation of Syria now know what the servant says in verse 12 one of his servants says not 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 what a piercing statement concerning the the the ability of God's prophet he hears the words that you speak in your bedroom you can't connive you can't plan you can't plot you cannot conceivably pull off a mission against the living and the true God you have met your match in your way of Israel I doubt the servant sort of couched it in this kind of language but it's the same nonetheless he says Elisha the Prophet who is in Israel speaks that tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom now notice the king pursues Elisha house comments here the expedition marks yet another vain attempt by a monarch to silence prophecy Elisha withstood such threats and now Elisha must do so and then probe in makes this perceptive comment it is testimony to his plight of course that he does not know where Elijah is whereas Elisha always knows where he is you see that the King says in verse 13 go and see where he is that I may send and get him and it was told him saying surely he is in Dauphin now things get a whole lot worse for the Syrians from this point on well let's just stop here and muse on this for a moment imagine this you have been told by one of your servants that a prophet in Israel by the name of Elijah is able to hear the words that you speak in your bedroom he knows every step you make he knows every breath you take he knows every plan you vouched and conceive he's already told the king they've already foiled your plans he knows precisely where you're at and yet this king of Syria has no clue whatsoever where Elijah is to be found they tell him surely he is in Dauphin which is about 11 miles to the north of Samaria now note God's protection in verses 14 to 17 therefore verse 14 he the king of Syria sent horses and and chariots in a great army there and they came by night and surrounded the city it's a difficult situation isn't it I mean the writing is it is beautiful the way that the narrative is carried here is as I said exciting if you're not excited you need to wake up just to see that the problem is real verse 14 he sends horses chariots a great army there and they came by night surrounded the city now notice in verse 15 this is different servant gehazi doesn't make it to chapter six Ghazi the greedy one remember he has turned into a leper at the end of chapter five so this is no longer the servant Ghazi that has been with Elijah who has seen the amazing things that God has done through the prophet Elijah this is a new servant who hasn't been in as much in tune with what Elijah is capable of so in verse 15 after having his coffee walks out to get the local paper and what does he City he sees this Syrian army he sees the place is surrounded and naturally this promotes and produces fear and the man you get that I would hope notice in verse 15 when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out there there was an army surrounding the city with with horses and chariots and his servant said to him alas my master what shall we do so he has fear he has trembling he has trepidation but notice the Prophet comforts it the prophet prophet soothes him the prophet stabilizes him and he does this in two particular ways first by his words in verse 16 and then secondly by his prayer in God's answer in verse 17 essentially in verse 16 he says don't be afraid don't be afraid never think that you're outdone when you're on the side of Israel's God never think that the the armies of this world can ever undo the very glory of God verse 16 do not fear for those who are with us are more than those who are with them - kin - what Jesus tells Peter in Matthew 26 do you not think that I could summon legions of angels and they would come to my aid Peter doesn't realize that there's always more for us than there is against us and this servant had difficulty as he surveys the scene so Elijah calms him with these words there for those who are with us are more than those who are with them and then in verse 17 he gives him this blessed a gift it says Elijah prayed and said lord I pray open his eyes that he may see then 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 Elijah she will not always get the verse 17 brethren but we always must believe the verse 16 let me just repeat that we will not always get the verse 17 in our own personal experience but we must always believe the verse 16 there are unique things that happen in these prophets there are unique things that happen in connexion with Elijah there are unique things that happen in redemptive history that aren't necessarily duplicated in the lives of God's people today such as the sort of vision that this servant got in verse 17 lord I pray open his eyes that he may see then 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 Elijah but even if he had not seen it it doesn't change the validity of verse 16 this is my point and encouragement to all of us even without the visuals of verse 17 we have the truth of verse 16 always and consistently no matter what foes we face we are never to forget and we are never to stop reminding ourselves that those who are with us are more than those who are with them what does Paul say can earning our position in Christ Jesus if God is for us who can be against us this is a Romans 8 sort of parallel in 2nd Kings chapter 6 at verse 16 those who are with us are more than those who are with them now blessed God he gives him this verse 17 vision to calm is servant at this particular point Davis comments it is one thing to hear don't be afraid for those who are with us are more than those who are with them it is another to be strongly consciously and vividly impressed by that reality verse 17 it is good to hear this truth verse 16 but so much more consoling to be held by this truth so all of that to say verse 16 is our hope our stay and our encouragement now that doesn't mean you can't write in terms of verse seventeen God show me I mean you may not see horses and chariots and the angelic legions there you know standing on guard but certainly there are things that God does to affirm the promises of God that eat you know these tokens these blessings these these things in his providence the unfolds for our encouragement and for our health when all else fails brethren we always have the naked word of God I'm always wondered about that people say well you know I'd be impressed if the sort of miracles that we had in the Bible were done today why hasn't it ever occurred to you that you can read about them and derive the same benefit I have to see something to actually validate it I've never seen Uganda but I believe that it's there I don't have any reason to doubt that you know person say well if we saw these things do click why is that why do we think that's a legitimate imposition to place upon God the things that are written are for us and our children the things that are written are for our admonition our encouragement our our help our our stability it's intriguing to me in the Psalter the songs ascribed to ASAP Asaph seemed to be a very melancholy sort of fellow and certainly he lived it seems in times that called for a melancholy response I mean he saw Gentiles destroying the very temple of God most high and Asaph in the midst of suffering either in 74 or 77 possibly 79 one of those three Asaph is lamenting the various turmoils that are affecting Israel at that particular time there is no present source for encouragement for ASAP so you know what he does he goes back to the Exodus and he sees Yahweh there he goes back in redemptive history and he sees Yahweh there and those are the things that encouraged him for the present distress that he is facing present I don't believe we always do that if God doesn't give me new this new that new this new that then I'm not going to trust no there's plenty of scripture that tell us concerning the faithfulness of God so my point here is verse 16 never ever ever changes it's always the case its corresponding truth in the New Testament is Romans 8 Paul saying if God is for us who can be against us the verse 17 may not necessarily be there for you I'm not going to promise you that you're going to go out and get a vision and see these chariots and these horses and all these sorts of things in fact I'm gonna probably promise you just the opposite there's no vision anymore there's no none of these sort of things the way that God revealed himself in the old because we have the written word this is what is to inform us this is what is to instruct us this is what is to now notice the capture of the Syrians in verses 18 to 23 first the prophets Prayer verse 18 so when the Syrians came down to him Elisha prayed to the Lord and said strike those people I pray with blindness and he struck them with blindness according to the word of Elijah now it probably wasn't total darkness blindness or else they couldn't have followed Elijah in verse 19 it wasn't blackness I think Davis gets it right it's not an absence of sight but some sort of visionary befuddlement or visual confusion the word is used in Genesis 1911 and may carry a similar connotation there it's not an absence of sight but rather it's more of a confusion so verse 12 Elijah I'm sorry verse 18 Elisha praise God answers and he struck them with blindness according to the word of the Lord now notice the prophets instruction in verse 19 well I should said to them this is not the way nor is this the city follow me and I will bring you to the man whom you see but he led them to Samaria now it's intriguing to me that everybody picks on Rahab the harlot for her life nobody picks on Elijah Elisha is doing here he is not coming out and saying I'm the guy you're looking for I'm Elijah you're seeking me to neutralize me and shut me up because you don't like to know that I know what's going on in you're better Here I am come and kill me he doesn't do that brethren doesn't identify himself doesn't say you're in the right place no he says follow me and what does he do he leads them right into a trap you don't think he's notified previously the king of Israel remember what Samaria is it's the capital of the Northern Kingdom this is where the king is this is where the troops are so what is Elijah doing according to verse 19 Elijah is tricking them Elijah is deceiving that Elijah is engaged in stratagems and I think that if you want the sort of typical reformed explanation of this you can do no better than what is found in matthew pools commentary he says there is indeed some ambiguity in his speech really I mean come on he could have said or you know if they're looking for a lie shot this is that whole you know if the Nazis came to your house and said you have Jews here I mean typically people are they either right in the basement they'll kill then know you'd be engaged in some form of ambiguity wouldn't you you wouldn't say yeah they're downstairs don't trip on the way Elijah does not identify himself so pool is right there is indeed some ambiguity in a speech and any intention to deceive that so tonight when you go home don't just blame Rahab the harlot for her life you can put Elijah in there as well I actually don't think they did anything wrong scripture never condemns them but rather exonerates them and holds them up Rahab simply as a model of faith in the book of James but back to pools in definition or description there is indeed some ambiguity in a speech and an intention to deceive them which hath ever been esteemed lawful in the state of war as appears from the use of stratagems rather than camouflaging a defensive fighting position is deception but it's something I hope we'd all heartily concede is good we don't say hey here's our munitions depot bomb n-no we drape camouflage netting all over it we all agree and can see that this is necessary when it comes to wartime ethics so line shows doing nothing wrong here he's doing everything right if Elijah was doing something wrong the Lord would have never answered his prayer and made these men blind God has confounded God has confused God has sent them a delusion for them to lay their hearts on too so that Elijah can lead right into a trap that's what's happening here notice his plan verse 20 so it was when they had come to Samaria that Elijah said Lord opened the eyes of these men that they may see it's intriguing isn't any praise the same faint thing for the servant the servant gets a view of the majesty and glory of God in terms of his protecting ability now he asked that God opens the eyes of the Syrians and they're looking down the business end of Israelite swords really how do you not find this incredibly exciting it's just really cool Lord opened the eyes of these men that they may see and the Lord opened their eyes and they saw and there they were inside samaria province as dependent upon elijah for guidance they're led to the israelite capital where they to light the servant moved from blindness to sight and discover they have been captured now Davis makes the point and I think he's absolutely spot-on that first and second Kings remember when we introduced first Kings we said they were not first in second Kings it was one book and it was written specifically at the time when Judah was in exile she got these people in Babylon and they're in exile for having broken covenant with God Most High they have broken covenant with the Lord they had sworn fidelity unto they have reaped the consequences of that covenant alone faithfulness they're sitting in exile so one of the purposes of 1st and 2nd Kings is yes to show them how they ended up there but as well to encourage them to set before them in the midst of their exile behold your God sort of a thing in other words if you were sitting in a Babylonian get you were in Babylonian captivity and you were reading this and you are understanding this it would encourage your heart it would build up your faith it would strengthen you not only in the details of light in terms of floating ax heads but in terms of the macro cosmic realities in life God is able to put these Babel onehans down just like he was able to blind me Syrians and March them right into Samaria so they would be captured and neutralized and sent back packing that's our God that's what the author is saying that's what he's setting forth in these exiles by way of encouragement and exhortation and it's the same for us the God who is displayed here in second King six is our God just imagine if you will I see it my mind's eye he's these Syrians I mean loaded for bear ready to fight ready to kill Israel and Elijah's just ambling along leading them right into Samaria leading them right into captivity themselves they are given their sight by God and they see Israelite swords levelled at their heads that's just amazing now notice the prophets demand in verses 21 to 23 Joe harem presumably no King is mentioned by name here we presume it's been a dad and and been a dad ii and joe harem but but verse 21 now when the king of israel saw them he said to Elisha my father shall I kill them shall I kill them now don't take his kindness to Elisha as him being favorable to Elisha if this is in fact a harem he's a fair-weather fan as long as things are going his way he's all for the Prophet next chapter thing later in this chapter things aren't going is what he doesn't want any knew of Elisha he wants Elisha death so don't don't interpret him saying my father has some sort of a scheme now newfound love for Elisha the prophet even back in chapter 3 when they were going on their way to Moab he wants the proof you wants to bask in the sovereignty of God and then and then the blame the sovereignty of God for marching them on into this particular perceived slaughter so he's not favorable toward the Prophet but he wants to kill them and then in verse 23 I'm sorry verse 22 he answers you shall not kill them would you kill those whom you have taken captive with your sword and your bow this is inhumane you don't kill captured prisoners of war that's just not the way people do things I almost find that this is a bit surprising in our day and age isn't it you know because we meet these brutal images of Isis soldiers cutting the heads off of of people we get these brutal images of men that are that are in captivity being brutalized I mean we read about it in our in our voice of the martyrs I mean barbarians today strap bombs to little children and send them amongst other little children well if I may be so bold war fighting wasn't always as inhumane as that there's always been at least some accompanying ethics that have gone along with it I think as men you know increases and as we continue with technology it gets even more barbaric we're more barbaric the more technology we have any guys can sit in a in a bunker somewhere and fly drones to kill people I mean it's almost like a video game and we have perfected the art of killing people such that it really doesn't even affect us anymore but what Elijah says here holds true for you know most of humanity not just in the 20-foot unfortunate ly not in the 21st century Gil says when soldiers are made prisoners of war it is contrary to humanity to the laws of nature and Nations to kill them and call blood and much more those who were taken not by his sword and bow but by the power and Providence of God don't do that Johar um and so Elijah's instruction is to set food and water before them that they may eat and drink and go to their master for whatever reasons your arm runs with this prepares a great feasts for them after they ate and or anything sent them away and they went to their master so the bans of Syrian Raiders came no more into the Land of Israel now that causes a bit of trouble with verse 24 because immediately we read the Syria comes to destroy Israel but some say well isn't that problematic they came no more in the Land of Israel verse 24 it happened that they came in the Land of Israel no what happened is in verse 23 they came no more in that rag fashion they came no more as bands of Raiders they came no more as sort of loose coalition they're going to come an overwhelming force they're going to come as a tightly organized military machine they are going to come to decimate now we might ask the question why does God spare them at this particular point I mean they're looking down the business end of Israelite swords they could have dealt with their their archenemy and avoided all of the unhappiness that is going to follow here in Sumeria in second Kings chapter six why not well some have suggested at least one suggest Syrians got to see something of the grace of God the God of Israel this is the way he dealt with you not only were you not killed but you also got not only food but you got a great feast and then you were sent on your way now whether that resonated with any of these persons we know not but as well the Syrians are instrumental in the hand of God for ultimately bringing doom and destruction to Israel the preservation here of Syria actually bodes ill for Israel so just a bit of foreshadowing there in terms of why Syria is spared at this particular juncture well in conclusion as I mentioned earlier and as I think it bears repetition we see in this passage along with our studies thus far in second Kings and I would suggest throughout the profit of the former prophets as a whole the comprehensive sovereignty of God over the big stuff and over the small stuff and I like this quote from Davis he says the greatness of God in large measure consists in the fact that he is faithful and little he's camping on the reality that God does great things in these little things he says we make a mistake when we confuse God's greatness with bigness or when we associate his greatness only with bigness then we begin to carve out for ourselves a graven image of the Living God which shapes him in our image he is so busy so preoccupied and distract pressured under time constraints this CEO type god can have no time for Joe or Jane Doe ah but that is not our god part of his greatness appears in the fact that he does attend to the small problems isn't it isn't that where part of his greatness appears and that he attends to the small problems haven't you ever had some small issue in your life rectified small verses you know what's happening in Houston small verses what's happening in the pathway of hurricane Irma small verses what's happening pretty alt much always in the middle east small in the grand scheme of things but to you that ax head is back I don't have to go out work for eight months and get you know a sorry time you know sideline job and deliver pizzas at night and store my pennies away by another axe head and return it I don't have to do that we think that prophet said that night before he went to bed praise God from whom all axe heads flow great this was a good thing he says part of his greatness appears in the fact that he does attend to the small problems the dainty details the individual needs the mundane and ordinary affairs of the believers life the hairs of your head are numbered God does care about your ax head I like that I'm encouraged by that and finally we ought to appreciate the necessity of spiritual discernment that 16-17 dynamic and the discernment I speak up is not necessarily praying for a vision and being granted the vision but knowing your Bible so well that when hard times come you fall into Scripture when difficulties assault you you go to the word you're like Jesus who when he's tested in the wilderness by the by the devil or tempted by the devil in the wilderness his recourses to the Word of God man shall not live by bread alone but by word that proceeds from the mouth of God this is the NASA necessity of spiritual discernment brethren know the book know the promises of the book know the threatenings of the book know the the glorious gospel of the book first and foremost but know these Old Testament prophets and know the various sort of nuggets that are that are couched there for our encouragement and for our benefit as I said aid 616 is is a corresponding passage to to Romans chapter 8 the reality that if God is for us who can be against us the spiritual discernment' that is necessary doesn't demand visions and chariots and horses it demands a knowledge of God's Word so read your Bibles pray through the text of Scripture and when hard times come go to Scripture it's like we do just about everything but right oh I'm having trouble I need to call someone not that it's bad to call somebody I'm having trouble I need to do just go to the scriptures meditate on the word be still and know that God is gone well let us close in a word of Prayer our Father we thank you for your word we thank you for the exciting nature of your acts your your power your displays of glory in these Old Testament narratives we thank you that you are the God it causes ax heads to float or swim you are the God who does stay off the the Syrian army through through confusion and delusion and through those means that you are gain we thank you that you are our God and that if you are for us there is none who can be against us may you cause us to have this forged in our hearts and may it be the place that we fall to when when trials and difficulties and sorrows come our way give us grace to find comfort and stability in your Holy Word and go with us now we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord amen