He sometimes stops and spends time encouraging young men who are training to be prophets.
II Kings 6:1-4- And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us. Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye. And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go. So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood.
The place where the young prophets lived was too small for all of them. They asked Elisha if they could go down to the woods near the river and cut down some trees to build a larger place. And, they wanted to know if Elisha would go with them. He said that was a good idea and that he would go.
II Kings 6:5-But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.
When we borrow something from someone we should make sure that it is in working order when we take it and when we give it back. This young prophet borrowed an axe to cut down trees with, but he didn't make sure that the sharp axe head was securely fastened. Someone could have seriously gotten hurt when it flew off the handle!
Now, he is crying to Elisha for help because of his carelessness.
II Kings 6:6-7- And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim. Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.
Now, I don't know if you've ever held something made of iron. I have an iron skillet at home for cooking and it is heavy! But, Elisha worked a miracle so that this heavy object floated to the top of the river.
I sure hope the young prophet was a little more careful after that!
Sometimes Elisha lived with the young prophets. Sometimes he stayed in the room that the great woman of Shunem made for him. And sometimes, he lived in the city walls and told the king what the Lord God Almighty wanted him to know.
II Kings 6:8-10- Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down. And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.
The king of Syria wanted to defeat the king of Israel. He decided that he would try to send assassins to kill him. But, God didn't want the king of Israel to die yet. So, he told Elisha to warn the king about where the assassins were hiding in wait for him. He saved his life at least three times!
The king of Syria was aggravated that his assassins were found out. He thought that he might have a traitor in his midst.
II Kings 6:11-14- Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel? And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.
One of the king of Syria's men told him that it was the prophet Elisha who was the informant. He said that Elisha could hear the words that the king spoke in his bedroom!
Is this true? Could Elisha hear what the king of Syria was saying behind closed doors? No! But, the Lord God Almighty could. It was the Lord, not Elisha, that was watching the king of Syria's moves.
But, the king of Syria blamed Elisha. He decided to send an army to circle the city that Elisha was staying in. They came with their chariots and horses during the night, and when everyone woke up in the morning the city was surrounded!
II Kings 6:15- And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?
Elisha's servant was scared! I bet the people of the city were pretty scared! But, Elisha wasn't afraid.
II Kings 6:16-17- And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
Elisha told the servant not to be afraid because their army was bigger! Perhaps the servant looked around and saw only frightened villagers.
Elisha could see something that no one else could see. Elisha could see how God was protecting them! And, he prayed that God would let his servant see, too!
God allowed this servant to see the Spiritual army that was protecting Elisha and the city. When the servant looked out at the mountains that surrounded the city he saw an army of fire filling them.
Some times we are scared when we don't have to be. If we could see what God sees, we would know that he has a Spiritual army all around us keeping us safe. No one can hurt us unless God says they can.
II Kings 6:18-19- And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria.
Elisha asked the Lord to blind the enemy army of Syria. Then he went out and told them that they were in the wrong place, and he led them to the capitol city of Israel.
II Kings 6:20-22- And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them? And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.
The king of Israel wanted to know if he should kill the Syrian army. But, Elisha said that they were captives and not to kill them, but feed them and send them back to Syria.
I'm sure the Syrian army was quite alarmed to find themselves inside of Samaria with the Israelite army all around. But, they weren't attacked like they expected. Instead, they were treated kindly by the ones they were to battle. They were fed and then sent home unharmed.
II Kings 6:23- And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.
What's the best way to end a war? You may think it's killing the enemy army. But, enemies can find armies anywhere. They can get them from other lands that they conquer, or pay for them from another powerful nation. No, killing isn't the best way.
The best way to end a war is to make your enemy your friend. Elisha ended this war by turning the enemy of Israel into a friend.
