2 Kings 6:8-17 St. Michael and All Angels Pastor Ron Koehler Grace—Tucson September 29, 2024
LORD, Open Our Eyes! 1. To the Dangers that Surround Us 2. To the Angels that Protect Us I’ve had the privilege of knowing and meeting a few people who have served in special forces units of the military—some here at church, some through friends. In social settings, they weren’t the type of people you would necessarily look at and assume were elite warriors with unique skill sets. In fact, they often just faded into the background. The truth is, you might, at any time, be standing or sitting near a special forces soldier and not know it—out at a restaurant, in the stands at a football game, or sitting two pews in front of you in church—because they often just blend in. That’s kind of the way it is with God’s special forces. Angels are around, all the time, but you don’t see them because—well, they do more than blend in. They are spirits, so they are not visible. On the Festival of St. Michael and All Angels, we are reminded of this and a number of other things about angels, the unique and powerful special forces of God who battle in the spiritual realm to defend God’s people against the attacks of Satan and his dark spiritual forces. There was a border skirmish going on between Aram and Israel. Fortunately for King Joram of Israel, he had a prophet on his side. Elisha the prophet was able to warn the king when and where the Aramean forces were lying in wait so that he was prepared or could avoid the area. Continually stymied by this, Aram’s king, Ben-Hadad, actually thought one of his own men was a traitor, that someone was warning the enemy. He demanded to know who the spy was. His officers were aware of Elisha the prophet and that he didn’t have to be anywhere near the king to know every one of his plans. This is the way they put it: Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words which you speak in your bedroom. It sometimes happens that one evil person is deemed so important, that they become the military target. We’ve seen that when fighting terrorists around the world. Elisha was not evil, of course, but it was clear to the king of Aram that the only way to defeat Israel would be to take out the prophet. So, the king leaves nothing to chance, sending horses, chariots, and a full fighting force of soldiers to capture one man—the man of God. They arrived at the city of Dothan and surrounded it. Imagine waking up, getting out of bed, stretching, walking across the room and opening the door to step out into the sun and face the day. But instead of the joy and warmth of the sun, you’re smacked in the face with the chilling sight of an enemy army all around you! Your plans for the day have suddenly changed—and it’s not looking like it’s going to turn out too well. Elisha’s servant is afraid, just as we would have been. “What are we going to do?” Do you beg? Do you plead? Do you run? Do you fight, knowing that the battle will last all of 30 seconds and end in death? Not too many good options. But Elisha knew what was not visible to his servant. “Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” The LORD was protecting them against the powerful enemy that intended to harm them. Heavenly special forces were guarding them. The hills were full of horses and chariots of fire.