(8) “Now the king of Syria was warring against Israel; and he took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. (9) 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 coming down. (10) And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God had told him and warned him of; and he saved himself there, not once nor twice. (11) And 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 show me which of us is for the king of Israel? And one of his servants said, Nay, 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. (13) And he said, Go and see where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.
(14) “Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. (15) And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, a host with horses and chariots was round about the city. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? (16) And he answered, Fear not; for they that are with us are more than they that are with them. (17) And Elisha prayed, and said, Jehovah, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And Jehovah 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. (18) And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto Jehovah, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And He smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. (19) 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. And he led them to Samaria.
(20) “And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, Jehovah, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And Jehovah opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. (21) And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them? (22) 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. (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. And the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.”
Golden Text.—“The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them.” Ps. 34:7.
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
(1) What king warred against Israel, as recorded in this lesson? In his counsel of war, what did he decide to do? Verse 8. Note 1. (2) Through whom was the king of Israel informed of these plans? What warning was given him? Verse 9. Note 2. (3) How did the king of Israel verify these warnings? Verse 10. Note 3. (4) How was the king of Syria affected by the failure of his plans? Whom did he suspect of treachery? Verse 11. (5) What information did one of his servants volunteer? Verse 12. Note 4. (6) What order did the king then give? What did he learn through this search? Verse 13. Note 5. (7) What effort was made to capture Elisha? Verse 14. Note 6. (8) What did Elisha’s servant see early in the morning? What did he say to his master? Verse 15. (9) How did the prophet answer the servant? Verse 16. Note 7. (10) What was the prophet’s first concern? How did the Lord answer? What then did the servant see? Verse 17. Note 8. (11) When the Syrians came in to take Elisha, to whom did he appeal for help? What was his prayer? How was this prayer answered? Verse 18. (12) What did Elisha say to his enemies? Then where did he lead them? Verse 19. (13) What prayer did Elisha then offer? How was this petition regarded? And what did the prisoners see? Verse 20. Note 9. (14) What did the king of Israel say to Elisha? Verse 21. Note 10. (15) What was the prophet’s reply? Verse 22. (16) What then did the king of Israel prepare for his enemies? When they had eaten, what further was done to them? With what result? Verse 23. Note 11.
NOTES.
1. The king of Syria was Ben-hadad II., and the king of Israel was Jehoram. In Ben-hadad’s counsels of war he planned his route of march toward Samaria, and announced the places where he would camp.
2. The Lord defended Israel against the Syrians through His prophet Elisha. The Spirit made known the secrets of Ben-hadad to the prophet, and he declared them to the king of Israel. “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets.” Amos 3:7. The Lord patiently sought to show the kings of Israel the superiority of His prophets as counselors over the prophets of Baal. Had Jehoram conceded this fact, he would soon have learned that the God of heaven was the true God, and he, as well as his people, would have been spared many trials and much humiliation.
3. Notwithstanding Jehoram’s persistent worship of Baal, he and his people were many times spared through the timely warnings of Elisha. How much the people might be benefited in our own time if they would heed the warnings of God’s prophets! A timely injunction of the Apostle Paul is, “Despise not prophesyings.” I Thess. 5:20. As also the declaration of David, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance.” Ps. 33:12. But this blessing is soon lost through a neglect or rejection of God’s means of blessing, namely, the Spirit of prophecy.
4. Elisha was known to the Syrians, no doubt mainly through the healing of Naaman’s leprosy, which was the subject of last week’s lesson.
5. Dothan was about twelve miles north of Samaria, and on the route of the Syrian army from Damascus to Israel’s capital. It was near Dothan where Joseph’s brethren were pasturing their flocks and herds when they sold him to the Ishmaelite traders.
6. There were two reasons for sending a “great host” against one man: (1) It was in the heart of the enemy’s country, and they did not know what forces might be encountered; (2) it was deemed necessary to effectually surround the town in order to prevent Elisha’s escape. His capture was thought to be an essential point in the campaign.
7. The servant could see nothing but the army of the enemy; he saw only calamity. The prophet saw the greater and more powerful army of deliverance. Here is an illustration of the difference between the discernment of faith and the sight of the natural eye.
8. Elisha was first concerned for the deeper instruction of his servant in spiritual things. He was not at all alarmed for their safety. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16), and the young man’s spiritual vision was enlarged that he might see the host of “ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.” Heb. 1:14.
9. Elisha was evidently in the position where he could ask what he would, and it would be done for him. See John 15:7. True enough, they were in the city which the Syrian army had aimed especially to invade, and there was the man, the king of Israel, whom they had most desired to capture.
10. It was a cruel proposition of King Jehoram to slay a helpless mass of men who had been captured without any effort of himself or his army. But retaliation is always the impulse of an unregenerate heart. Mercy is always the inspiration of the Spirit of God, no matter by whom exercised.
11. The prophet of Jehovah, whose prisoners these men were, gave the more merciful, as well as the more expedient, advice, namely, to feed the prisoners and send them home. So, in later times, the Apostle Paul gave this similar counsel: “If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head.” Rom. 12:20.
