Open Our Eyes

2 Kings 6:16 Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them…And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man.

The odds don’t appear to look good. It appears that the enemy of our soul is getting the best of us. We take one step forward and two steps back. At every turn in the road, we face another set back. We find ourselves surrounded by unfortunate events. The enemy surrounds us with discouragement, disappointment, and desires to destroy our faith and trust in God. What appears is not always what it seems. Faith is the evidence of things not seen. Behind the scene of this temporal world, God is working on our behalf. We but need to open our eyes and see what God is doing. He is the God of impossibilities and has us surrounded by “horses and chariots of fire”. We need not fear for tomorrow or our current blight. The Lord of host is with us. He will fight the battle for us. At the right time, He will show himself in our behalf. May God open our eyes and see that God is for us. Seize the day, for God is in control.

The Captivity of Israel

2 Kings 17:6-18

Review: The passing of Elisha left Joash without a spiritual mentor. Even though he had someone that knew God and trusted God, he was not willing to believe God for himself. His unwilliness to claim total victory over the Syrian, indicated his little faith in God’s ability to give him complete victory. The example of Joash should show us that God is able to do anything if we don’t limit Him by our small faith by trusting in our abilities to get things done.

Israel made captive of the enemy

1. Warned by the prophets
2. Circumstances of life- God’s providence to show and lead?
3. Hoshea, king of Assysia took Samaria
4. Consequences of refusal to follow his commands- Captivity

Israel’s calamity was of their own doing

1. They Forgot God
1. His deliverance
2. His provisions
2. The Focused on the Things of the World
1. They followed the ways of the world-huminism
2. They put others things before God
3. They Lived a False Life
1. They still claimed to be serving God
2. They did things in secret- deception
4. They were Fascinated with idol worship
1. Sinful pleasure of the world
2. No moral restraints- If it feels good, do it!
5. They Forsook the counsel of the prophets
1. Refuse to listen to others
2. Closed their minds to anything that represented right
6. Their Faith in God was gone
1. They refuse to believe that God could do anything
2. They Would not commit to God’s ways
7. Their Foolishness brought them to unthinkable deeds
1. Children pass through the fire
2. The unthinkable sins of our day- abortion, witchcraft

Israel Caused The Lord to be Angry

1. God will not let sin go unpunished
2. Whatsoever a man soweth, that will he reap

The Death of Elisha

2 Kings 13: 14-25

Review: Joash in his early years of his reign desired for the house of God (temple) to be restored. It pleases the Lord that His house be maintained and presented acceptable at all times. This is only accomplish when those who worship there are willing to give of their resources. Not giving to the needs of the house of God is a reflection of one’s attitude toward the work of the church and God’s kingdom.

The Passing of a Prophet

• A life of plains, valleys, and mountain top experiences
• Weeping for Elisha- Joash stability was leaving
• Regarded as more importance than all the armies of Israel

The Prophecy of the Prophet

• Demonstrated the meaning of the arrows
• Shooting the arrow eastward
• The defeat of the enemy- Syrians in Aphek
• Joash strikes the arrow only 3 times- Limiting God’s power

The Passion of the Prophet

• He was wroth.
• Joash knew better- He refuse to believe
• He was disappointed and frustrated with Joash
• He saw Joash as a faithless man who depended on his own.

The Power of Influence of the Prophet

• Man made alive in Elisha’s tomb
• Bore testimony his character-activity- preserver- life giver
• Bore witness to his connection to God- “Surely this was a prophet of God”
• God still wanted to work his divine purpose for Israel even though the prophet was no longer on earth.
• It showed that God was the “God of the living and dead”

The Promise of the Prophet fulfilled

• God kept his promise/covenant with Israel
• The promises of God are always kept, but we must also keep our promises that we make to God.