May it please God to bless us
together this morning as we meditate in his word. Let us turn to the
second book of the Kings, chapter six, and we'll read verse 17. The second book of the Kings,
chapter six and verse 17. 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. This account is a very interesting
account And it commences, of course, with the occasion that
Syria were warring against Israel. And they wanted to come and they
wanted to beat Israel and rid them of Israel, if possible.
And therefore, the king of Syria planned what to do. He took counsel
with his servants saying, in such and such a place shall be
my camp. And he thought, therefore, by
planning this, that it would be an easy battle to fight against
Israel. But he didn't reckon that there
was a God in Israel. And he didn't reckon that there
was a prophet in Israel, a man called Elisha. And he didn't
realise that Elisha would be told by God what was going to
happen. and to therefore tell Israel
that they were to avoid that place and so we're told the man
of God sent unto the king of Israel saying beware that thou
pass not such a place for thither the Syrians had come down and
the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told
him and warned him of and say to himself there not once nor
twice now what's the situation well the heart of the king of Syria
was troubled he couldn't understand why this is happening he got
his plans and the plans were being beaten and obviously he
thought there was someone in his army who was telling the
king of Israel and therefore he says he calls his servants
and said unto them will you not show me which of us is for the
King of Israel? He thought he got a traitor in
the camp who was telling them, the Israelites, where they would
be attacked. Well, one of the servants said,
none, my Lord, there aren't any in our company, O King, but Elisha
the prophet that is in Israel, he telleth the King of Israel
the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. What a wonderful
thing it is to know that we still today have a great God who warns
us in our lives today, tells us perhaps of situations which
may be arising, perhaps not in so many words, but we may feel
the influence of God upon us to do and saying go into certain
situations. Well, What was the result? Well,
the king of Syria decided, well, there's only one thing to do.
I must get rid of this prophet Elisha. Then he won't be able
to warn the Israelites what to do. So he planned and he sent
a great host that came by night and encompassed the city about.
This is where, of course, the Israelites were because they
were in Dothan. And the servant, Elisha's servant,
was risen early. It's always a good thing to get
up early. It's not a good thing to stay in bed unless we're not
well enough. And so here he was, the servant
of the man of God. He rose early and he went forth. And what did he see? He saw the
city compassed about, surrounded with horses and chariots. And
what was his reaction? He came to Elisha and he said
to Elisha, alas, my master, how shall we do? Well, Elisha was
a man of God. Elisha's confidence was in his
God. And that's a good thing for us
today to realize when there may appear to be oppositions and
enemies, remember that there is a God in heaven, just like
Daniel said so many years ago when he was before the king,
and having to tell him the result of his dream, and didn't take
any credit himself, but he said, there is a God in heaven, and
there is today, bless God. And so, what did Elisha say to
his servant? Fear not, fear not. Well, what a good thing it is
when God speaks out to us. when there may be difficulties
and oppositions and perhaps impossible situations, to our mind, that's
what it was, to his servant, how shall we do? There's this
great army and we're just here, just a few people. Fear not,
for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. Well, there was no apparent natural
army. There was no apparent natural
army. So, what did Elisha do? Elisha prayed. And how wonderful
it is that we have such examples in the Word of God, that in our
times of need, The first thing we should do is to pray. I know that some of you this
morning in Sunday school heard about Nehemiah. When Nehemiah
was before the king and his face was troubled and he was concerned
about all his people, all the Israelites, the people of Judea,
he was worried about them. Because what was going to happen?
There was Jerusalem beaten down and in a state of wreckage really. And the king realized this. And he asked him, what's the
problem? And we're told, remember here
is Nehemiah in the presence of the king, his master. We're told
he prayed to the God of heaven. Now be encouraged in your life
and my life just like it is here. There's no situation, there is
no situation when we cannot pray to the God of heaven. It wasn't in Nehemiah's, it wasn't
an audible prayer but he prayed in his heart and it was an earnest
prayer and he had a need and the Lord heard and answered and
now Elisha has a need and Elisha prays. Is God going to turn away
from him? No, the Lord hears and answers
prayer and we have many illustrations in the word of God, many statements
about those prayers which are spoken and in Psalm 91 the psalmist
is encouraging in his life and he
tells us a great statement he says speaking
to God's people thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder the young
lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet because and
this is the great blessing because he has set his love upon me that
means the Lord God said his love upon the psalmist and what a
favour it is when the Lord God has set his love upon us he had
upon Nehemiah he had upon Elisha and so that as they prayed was
God going to ignore the prayer no because he had said his love
upon me therefore will I deliver him I will set him on high because
he has known my name he shall call upon me and I will answer. I will be with him in trouble.
I will deliver him and honour him. A long life will I satisfy
him and show him my salvation. So there is no time, no occasion
when we should not call upon the name of God, believing that
he will hear and that he will answer. What a mercy to know
today you and I have a prayer hearing and a prayer answering
God. Well, I wonder if we can find
in our lives occasions when this has happened, when God has heard
and God has answered prayers. And in the 50th Psalm, which
is a Psalm of Asaph, he tells us call upon me in the day of
trouble and does he say well I'll just ignore it no he says
this it's in Psalm 50 verse 15 call upon me in a day of trouble
I will deliver thee and what's the result and thou shalt glorify
me there's an outcome a wonderful blessed outcome as God hears
and and answers prayer. Now, come back to Elisha. Elisha
prayed. And what did he pray? Remember,
his servant had come and asked the question, how shall we do? And the last master, how shall
we do? And he wants to be able to give him
an answer. And he wants the light to shine
into this young man's heart. And what does he say? Lord I
pray thee, open his eyes that he may see. Now what was he going to see?
What Elisha had already told him. For they that be with us
are more than they that be with thee and yet physically there
weren't anybody, there was no one there. What happened? What happened?
It's a wonderful occasion, a wonderful thing a wonderful miracle really
that occurred because God heard Elisha's prayer and the Lord
opened the eyes of the young man he wasn't blind he could
see all around him he could see the fields and the mountains
and all the things he wasn't blind so how was his eye being
opened And he saw, and behold, the mountain
was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. What was it? It was a vision,
a spiritual vision to see those who were around them to safeguard
them. And there were all these people
and all these chariots The enemy couldn't see them, but you see,
God was there directing his army, an unseen army, an army that
indeed was able to defeat the enemy. There are those occasions
in the word of God when thousands of people, sometimes I think
half a million in one occasion, were destroyed by the power of
God. Yes, by the secret power of God,
destroy the enemy. God is able to do great things
today as he opened this man's eyes and he saw then all these
people, all these people. 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 in blindness
according to the word of Elisha." Again, a very different attitude,
wasn't it? He didn't say to his servant,
now get up and get your sword out and fight all these people.
The Lord's ways, always remember this, the Lord's ways are higher
than our ways. They're always superior to our
ways and they will always be successful. And so here was now
Elisha asking the Lord to bring these people into a blind condition,
which he did. And then Elisha said, I'll lead
you. You follow me. He didn't know where they were
going. Didn't know where they were going.
Elisha led them. He led them into the land of Samaria, just
a place they didn't want to be found in. And there they were. They opened their eyes and behold,
they were in the midst of Samaria. Now, it's very interesting and
it's significant and it's important for us to realize what happened
now. You see, Elisha's servant said,
should I smite them? Should I smite them? What did
Elisha say? Thou shalt not smite them. What
is 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. You see,
he was dealing well with them. He was dealing well with them.
Again, the word of God tells us, it's quite an amazing statement
really. It's very important. We are to
love our enemies. and to speak well and do well
those who despitefully use us. What is that? It's the spirit
of the gospel. And why is it? God hasn't dealt with us, has
he? As our sins deserve. He hasn't cut us off as our sins
deserve. The Lord has dealt graciously
with us. What a blessing if that is so. What a blessing therefore
in our lives today. If perhaps we find the enemy
appears to be defeated before us, those who have opposed us,
not to retaliate with evil, but to retaliate with good. Yes,
it goes contrary to our nature. but it's an agreement with the
direction and spirit of God. And you see, what was the result?
It was a good outcome. And he prepared great provisions
for them. And when they'd 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. The Lord had appeared. The Lord
had done great things. Let us remember, the Lord does
not change. And we come today before that
same God who hears and answers prayer. And what a necessary
consideration it is that we realize this. Now, you may say, well,
what's the application? Well, of course, there's a great
application of having our spiritual eyes opened and the Apostle Paul, a man of God, able
to tell us through the things that he spoke when he was before
King Agrippa. And he reiterated his conversion. It's always a good thing to be
able to reiterate and tell people of our conversion. That means
when the Lord brought light into our hearts, when, as the apostle
tells us here, his eyes were opened. And in this account,
standing there before King Agrippa, he said, this is what he said
to the God when he'd been struck down, who are thou, Lord? And
he said, I am Jesus. whom thou persecutest." Well,
you and I may in our life have persecuted the Lord. You may
say, well, I'm not sure if I did. Well, we need to examine ourselves,
see whether we were, we perhaps ignored the things of God. And if we pretended we didn't
know God, when we pretended we didn't know anything about Christianity,
and we didn't want to tell people that we were a Christian and
we were a true believer, Because we realize what opposition that
might be, bring to us. Well, here was Paul then saying,
the Lord came and told him, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. And the Lord instructs him, rise,
stand upon thy feet. Don't sit down, Paul. For I have
appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a
witness, both of these things which thou hast seen and of those
things in the which I will appear unto thee, delivering thee from
the people and from the Gentiles unto whom now I send thee." And
what was the purpose of Paul's ministry? Here it is, to open
their eyes. What was the purpose of Elisha's
prayer? To open the eyes of his servant. And here the Apostle speaking
before this august company and telling them, you see the Apostle
Paul really was blessed with fearlessness. He only had one
master. You and I only have one master.
We're not to serve any other master. And so here was the Apostle
tells us to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to
light and from the power of Satan unto God that they might receive
forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified
by faith that is in them. That's a very comprehensive verse. You might go home and ponder
that. Acts 26 verse 18. A very comprehensive verse. Let me read it again. To open
their eyes, their spiritual eyes, and to turn them from darkness,
which we are by nature, we are born in darkness, into light,
and from the power of Satan, which we are under, unto God,
when the light shines, we are under the power of God, that
they may receive forgiveness of sins so vital no sinner can
enter into heaven all need to be forgiven every sin may receive
the forgiveness of sins and then he leads on to that which is
before us inheritance eternal inheritance in glory among them
which are sanctified made holy by faith that is in me well there
we are friends what a simple statement but how full it is,
how comprehensive it is. And here is the testimony of
the apostle to open their eyes. That was the Lord's purpose for
Paul in preaching the gospel. And so it is today. It hasn't
changed. And what was Elisha's purpose? That his servant might see how
that God was with them. in that invisible form, visible
to those whose eyes are spiritually open, invisible to those whose
eyes are not open. And it's the same in a spiritual
sense for us today. We look around and we may say,
just like the servant did, how shall we do? How shall we do? We look at it with our natural
eyes. But, oh bless God, if prayer
is heard and our spiritual eyes are opened so that we see the
true situation and we see the wonderful influence and power
of God, oh how superior it is to all the efforts of poor puny
man. How often we may wonder How shall
we do? We've got all these problems,
all these difficulties, all these oppositions. Look up! If God be for us, as the Apostle
Paul says, again when he wrote to the Romans, if God be for
us. Well, is God for us? Bless God
if he is, thank God if he is. If God be for us, who can be
against us? Who can be against us if God's
on our side? Isn't it amazing? Isn't it wonderful
to think we have a great God, an almighty God? If God be for us and the Apostle
had said, what shall we then say to these things? Let me just
go back previous couple of verses because it's instructive to us. He tells us the well-known verse
in verse 28, and we know, and I hope we do, and we know that
all things, all things, not some things, all things work together
for good. to them that love God, to them
who are the called according to his purpose. You see, God
had called this young man, this servant, that his eyes would
be opened. And God had called the apostle Paul to preach the
gospel of opening in our eyes. And so here we have this statement.
The apostle goes on, for whom he did foreknow he also did predestinate
what was the purpose, what's God's purpose to his people?
To be conformed to the image of his son. Now that's not natural. That's not natural, that's the
spiritual gift of God when he brings us into that position
to give us a desire to be conformed, to be like, the Lord Jesus Christ,
whom He called, conformed the image of His Son, that He might
be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He did predestinate,
them He also called, whom He called, them He also justified,
whom He justified, them He also glorified. You see, there's a
complete succession of blessings, and they do not stop, they do
not fail. So, being encouraged this morning,
if God has called us, if we have that gracious call, when our
eyes have been opened to realize that if we're called, we're justified,
if we're justified, we will also be glorified. And so the apostle
then says, makes this statement, this question, what shall we
then say to these things? He'd explained it to the Romans,
What should we then say? Here's the conclusion. If God
be for us, who can be against us? No one, no one. They may try, they may oppose. He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? That doesn't mean to say, everything
that you and I think we want. He'll give us freely everything
that you and I need in our spiritual life to bring us safely home
to that glorious inheritance. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? Yeah, people may try and condemn
us and write us off, It is God that justifies. Yes, God, you
see, justifies. God takes away our sin. God makes
us right. Who is he that condemneth? It
is Christ that died, yet rather is risen again, who is even at
the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Blessed
God, isn't it? He makes intercession for us
today. And then he concludes with those glorious verses. We won't read them all, but it
starts, who shall then separate us from the love of Christ? You
see, no one will be able to. No one will be able to. And what
a blessing if God has opened our eyes to behold this great
truth. The Lord opened the eyes of this
young man, this servant of Elisha, and he saw a beautiful situation. And he realised, as the Prophet
has said, that there are more with us than there are with them,
so let us therefore not be discouraged. And what an important thing it
is for us to have our eyes opened. It is so, so important. We have
natural sight, and it's a good thing when we do have natural
sight, but it's a greater, far greater blessing when we have
spiritual sight. In the 119th Psalm, that beautiful
psalm with so much instruction, we're told in the verse 17, the
psalmist says, he prays, and so much prayer is in the word
of God, so much prayer. Deal bountifully with thy servant. that I may live and keep thy
word. That was his desire. It's a desire
of a godly child. Today, the same. Deal bountifully
with thy servant. I may live and keep thy word.
Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of
thy law. Now, of course, David was referring
there to the law of Moses and not just the Ten Commandments.
But he was really speaking about what was considered to be the
law, those first five books of Moses, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, and Deuteronomy, that he might indeed behold wondrous
things out of thy law. And there are wondrous things
to behold. And it's a wonderful blessing
when the Lord opens our eyes to behold those wondrous things,
which are to be observed as we see how God instructed his people
in so many ways, and especially in the construction of the tabernacle
and the temple and the worship that was to be carried out in
the tabernacle and the temple. And what did it do? It led them,
it directed them to the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm sure that's really why John
the Baptist, when the Lord came to him to be baptized, he used
that beautiful phrase, behold the Lamb of God that taketh away
the sin of the world. Throughout those early books
in the Bible, there have been set forth the lamb slain from
Genesis right through. What a glorious picture. No wonder
there is this desire. Open thou my eyes that I may
behold wondrous things out of thy law. Well, may that be our
concern and may that be our prayer. Because there is so much spiritual
food, you know, in observing those things in the Old Testament,
you know, our soul is fed. We are fed when we partake of
the Saviour, not of course in a physical way, but in a spiritual
way, in meditating upon the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Lord tells
us in the sixth chapter of John, except ye eat the flesh and drink
the blood of the Son of Man, there is no life in you. Therefore
What it means is this, our eyes have never been opened, never
been spiritually opened. We're not blind physically, we're
blind spiritually. The great important thing is
for all of us, isn't it, to have our eyes open, just like Elisha
prayed here, Lord I pray thee, open his eyes. We all must have our eyes spiritually
opened. All things become new. We see
things differently. What do we see? We see things
in God's way, in God's eyes. What a wonderful blessing it
is. What a wonderful, important thought it is. The Lord might
indeed instruct us and teach us. Isaiah we often refer to as the
gospel of Isaiah and how true it is it speaks gloriously and The 42nd chapter again, it is
a wonderful chapter and in that chapter We read this the sixth
verse I the Lord have called thee in righteousness and will
hold on hand and will keep thee, and give
thee for a covenant of the people, for a light to the Gentiles,
to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison,
and then sit in darkness out of the prison house. I am the
Lord, that is my name, and my glory will I not give to another,
Neither my praise to grave and images. So what a good thing
it is if the Lord opens our eyes and brings us out of prison. Spiritual prison. The devil wants
to keep you and me in prison. So there's no freedom. There's
no light. It's a dark dungeon. And there we, and there, but
by the grace of God, we are kept. But bless God for his grace.
Bless God for his free unmerited favor to unworthy sinners. So that he does come and he brings
us out of the prison house. The gates are open. We're set
free. We wander out. into the beautiful land, the
landscape o'er, and what is that? Jesus Christ and Him crucified. What a wonderful view to our
spiritual sight that is. What life it brings, what light
it brings, what glory it brings, what praise it brings. To realise,
yes, the Lord has come and brought me out so that my eyes have been
opened, And I've beheld marvelous things out of thine law. Well,
are we not thankful then that we have such great statements,
statements like that, that our eyes of our understanding indeed
might be open. The apostle again, he's full
really of this theme. If you read carefully, the theme
of the apostle is that eyes might be opened to behold the glorious
truth of the everlasting gospel and indeed in the epistle to
the Ephesians he tells us he says wherefore i also after i
heard of your faith in the lord jesus and love unto all the saints
this is the rejoicing in the apostle paul cease not to give thanks for
you making mention of you my prayers that the look that the
god of our lord jesus christ the father of glory may give
unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge
of him the eyes of your understanding spiritual understanding it's
very different from natural understanding And a spiritual understanding
is only given by God. The eyes, spiritual eyes of your
understanding being enlightened that ye may know. Again, just follow this through,
very similar to what we referred to previously, that ye may know
what is the hope of his calling and what are the riches of the
glory of his inheritance in the saints. And what is the exceeding
greatness of His power to us all? It's the power of God that
brings spiritual sight. Naturally, we cannot give sight
to a blind man. We cannot give sight to a spiritual
man. The Lord does it. And so He tells
us. He is power to us who believe
according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought
in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at
his own right hand in the heavenly places far above all principality
and power and might and dominions and every name that is named
not only in this world but also in that which is to come. Well
you can read on but it's a Statement the Apostle makes again about
the need for the opening of the eyes and the blessing the eternal
blessing Because if our eyes are spiritually open they will
not be shut Because it's God that's done it and God's work
continues God's work doesn't fail God's work doesn't stop
so if God has graciously by a spirit open our eyes and We have so
much cause to praise our God, open our eyes to see the glorious
plan of salvation, to see where we were. How were we? Hymn writer
tells us, lost and ruined in the fall. There we were without
hope, without hope in the world until A glorious time came when
the Lord opened our eyes. And what do we behold? The Lord
Jesus Christ. The only saviour of poor, wretched,
undone sinners. The Lord Jesus Christ. He came
to seek and to save that which was lost. When our eyes are opened,
we bless God for it. We bless God that he's come to
save me. We stand surprised and amazed
that God should have been so gracious to have come to open
such a sinner's eyes to behold the plan of salvation so that
our hope is in what Christ has done on our behalf to redeem
our souls, to set us free out of the prison house If the Son
therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. The
devil can't keep you in the prison. He may try to. He may continue
to. He won't be able to. Because
what God has done is done forever. God doesn't do and then it's
finished. God does it forever. It's forever. What a mercy then
to be blessed with this great plan of salvation. and to have
that good hope that we have an interest there. And because of
it, because of what the Lord Jesus Christ has done in redeeming
our souls, in dying upon Calvary's cross to redeem us, so our names
are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. All of us need to have
our names written, again, in the Lamb's Book of Life. Remember,
now we have the same picture, the Lamb of God. Lord Jesus Christ,
the Lamb in the midst of the throne. The Church of God will
praise God eternally, will praise the Saviour eternally. My friends,
that song, that praise won't begin in heaven. In the heart
of the believer, the praise will begin on the earth. And what
is that praise? Praise to God for opening our
eyes. our spiritual eyes to behold
the Lord Jesus Christ as our all-sufficient Savior. So as
we have such an account in the Old Testament, you know it's
very easy isn't it to read it and say well that's very wonderful
and beautiful. There is great depth in the Word of God. It is there to illustrate to
us the blessings God gives to our souls. The purpose of God's
Word is a spiritual book. It's a spiritual book to instruct
his people as they journey through life. And what a favour it is
then for you and me today if we hear such a word as this. As we may have spoken in our
hearts to God, how shall we do? Fear not. Fear not. open his eyes and the Lord opened
the eyes of the young man and he saw. Well my friends can you
and I this morning have the evidence that God has opened our eyes
and we have seen, we have seen, we've seen by faith the blessed
Saviour as our only hope of salvation and we come to say my hope is
built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. Amen.