2 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? 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?
At Dothan the king of Syria sent horses and chariots and a great host by night to seize Elisha because he had exposed the Syrian ambush against Israel. When the servant rose early and went out he found the city compassed by that army with horses and chariots filling the valley, and in alarm at seeing no visible way of escape he asked what they should do. The danger he saw was real, but it did not reveal the full reality, for God's angels were already present in mighty power round about, with horses and chariots of fire on the nearby slopes surrounding the town for protection and deliverance. Those holy messengers are sent from the throne of God to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation and to encamp around the Lord's weak and helpless ones, restraining the forces of darkness, and if the eyes of the faithful under threat today were opened they would see them encamped around them. The answer to the servant's cry of human helplessness in a strait place is to make the Lord alone the dependence, to stand upon the platform of eternal truth, and to see the salvation of God.
Surrounded at Dothan
The scene is Dothan, where the king of Syria sent horses and chariots and a great host by night to seize Elisha because Elisha had exposed the Syrian ambush planned against Israel. The servant rose early in the morning and went forth out of the city, and found the city compassed by the enemy army. Horses and chariots filled the valley around them, surrounding the town on every side so that no visible way of escape remained. Seeing the surrounding host, the servant feared for their safety and cried out in alarm over what they should do. His question expresses human helplessness when God's people are brought into a strait place where apparently there is no escape. This encirclement at Dothan is the earlier setting that precedes the later Syrian siege of Samaria and its miraculous deliverance.
Unseen Heavenly Guard
The danger the servant woke to find was real, with Syrian horses and chariots filling the valley around Dothan and leaving no visible way of escape, yet what he saw did not reveal the full reality. God's angels were already present in mighty power round about to guard His faithful servants, and heavenly armies surrounded Elisha though the servant could not yet see them. What Elisha saw, and what the servant needed opened eyes to see, was horses and chariots of fire on the nearby slopes, with chariots and horses of fire surrounding the little town for protection and deliverance when he was shut in by his foes.
They were holy messengers sent from the throne of God to minister to those who should be heirs of salvation and to encamp around the Lord's weak and helpless ones. In that encirclement they restrained the forces of darkness that pressed against God's people, a protection the threatened faithful would still see today if their eyes were opened. Their coming reveals the great object of divine compassion, the uplifting of fallen humanity. For they came not to consume, not to despise, not to rule or exact homage, but on a mission of mercy to minister.
When Elisha prayed for the Lord to open the servant's eyes, he saw the armies of God ready to come to the assistance of one man. That opening of sight proves that God worked with His people anciently, and stands as one example of how holy angels have in all ages ministered to God's people. As the servant saw only the earthly danger, so faithful people under threat would see, if their eyes were opened, God's angels encamped around them.
Trusting God in Trials
The cry, how shall we do, is the voice of human helplessness when God's people are brought into a strait place where apparently there is no escape, with no way out that can be seen. The answer to that question is to make the Lord alone the dependence, to stand upon the platform of eternal truth, and to see the salvation of God. Rather than relying on self, God's people in such distress are to depend on God for salvation and let Christ, not themselves, be seen.
Elisha was delivered from the armed host sent to seize him after he had exposed the Syrian ambush against Israel. That deliverance shows that he was true to principle and true to God, and that his work bore the divine credentials. In difficulty and trial God revealed Himself to him as an ever-present Helper, and this stands as a lesson for admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come.
When the honor of God demands that the truth be vindicated in controversy, the Lord identifies His interest with His representative. Then self must be put out of sight and Christ alone appear, with no spirit of retaliation and no following of the opponent, but casting the seeds of truth and leaving a present Christ to take care of the question. The heart must be opened in contrition to God, and nothing should lead into debate with men who have no honor for God or man, for debate must always be refused except for God's honor. Words must be guarded so they drop as silver and gold, with never for a moment lost the consciousness of being Christ's ambassador speaking in Christ's stead. Nothing befalls such a representative but what will redound to His name's glory.