The Bible teaches that we are to walk by faith and not by sight. Yet, the Bible also teaches that Jesus came to give sight to the blind. The Bible teaches that the Kingdom of God is not about touch not, taste not, handle not——things we see but about what we do not see—- For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink (what we see); but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost (what we do not see) Rom 14:17. Peter says that if we do not abound or increase in matters of Grace and Knowledge, we are blind and cannot see. Therefore, To Abound in Sight is of significant and eternal importance to all of mankind.
Elisha is a great prophet of old who gives us great insight into this matter of sight or seeing, as it were. In 2 Kings 6, Elisha and his servant are in the town of Dothan when an outraged King of Syria sends armed troops with horses and chariots to surround the town and capture Elisha because Elisha has been such a menace to the Syrian King’s plans to fight and defeat Israel. Moving to Dothan at night, the servant expresses this dire situation to Elisha because of what he sees as the sun breaks the morning sky, a vast powerful army surrounding the town. Elisha replies: Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city. When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 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 (2Ki 6:14-17).
Elisha asked for and received a double portion of Elijah’s Spirit. Elisha with God’s Spirit had already seen God at work: The bitter water at Jericho turned sweet as Elisha threw salt, Elisha had 42 boys mauled by 2 bears because of their mocking, Elisha saw that ditches were dug in a desert for Israel’s army and God filled the ditches with water without wind or rain, Elisha saw the widow’s jar of oil multiply again and again until the last jar was bought for the fill, Elisha brought a mother’s young son back to life by laying prostrate over the dead boy, Elisha purified stew and fed 100 men with 20 loaves of bread during a famine, Elisha had Naaman, a Captain in the Syrian army, dip 7 times in the Jordan to be healed of leprosy, Elisha threw a stick into water and an iron axe-head floated.
Elisha is now ready to see the unseen in chapter 6 of 2nd Kings because Elisha has seen the mighty working of God in the double-portion of the Spirit he has received. Now, he is able to see God’s mighty and powerful warriors, angels in flaming chariots surrounding the town of Dothan, perhaps hovering just above the Syrian army, an army without a clue that a more powerful force than them is soon to be reckoned with: “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 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. As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, “Strike this army with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked (2Ki 6:16-18).
Scott and Jane Johnson minister with East Faulkner Church of Christ and BRG Bible. Bible question can be set to [email protected].