Chariots of Fire, Part One

Now the king of Aram was at war with Israel. After conferring with his officers, he said, “I will set up my camp in such and such a place.”

The man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Beware of passing that place, because the Arameans are going down there.” So the king of Israel checked on the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places.

This enraged the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded of them, “Will you not tell me which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?”

“None of us, my lord the king,” said one of his officers, “but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.”

“Go, find out where he is,” the king ordered, “so that I can send men and capture him.” The report came back: “He is in Dothan.” Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city.

When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh, my lord, what shall we do?” the servant asked.

“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

And Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes so that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all round Elisha.

2 Kings 6:8-17

A Vision of Ultimate Reality

We are interested in speaking about the vision of ultimate reality as seen in this passage. Whenever we focus on this world and all its problems, we tend to get afraid and unsettled, just as the servant of Elisha did when he saw the Aramean army. But when we have a vision of ultimate reality, we will be cured of all of these things.

Chariots of fire in this portion of Scripture is a metaphor for the invisible, supernatural realities that exist as contrasted to the visible realities of limited power. These invisible, supernatural realities, whether God or angels, are not seen or perceived by unbelieving materialists who believe very religiously that the cosmos is all there is. But despite the unbelief of some, these spiritual realities do exist. In fact, ultimate reality is the invisible triune God, whose kingdom is forever and ever, and which includes his holy angels and the spirits of just men made perfect. Ultimate reality is the invisible reality of heaven, hell, and the kingdom of God.

Faith, which is a gift of God, is the mechanism by which we recognize this ultimate reality of God as revealed in the Holy Scriptures. So the writer to the Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” He is speaking of understanding the truth about God by having faith in God and in his word. And this faith is not passive; it actively produces works in us. Thus, in Hebrews 11:26 we read that Moses “regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.”

In 2 Corinthians 4:18 Paul writes, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” In other words, the unseen realm is ultimate reality and, therefore, Christians must live by faith, meaning faith in God’s truth, and not by sight. By faith in God’s truth, a Christian sees the ultimate, eternal reality of God and his kingdom. And when a Christian sees that reality, he will not despair, no matter what problems he may encounter. He will not cry out in desperation; rather, he will exercise his faith in God and trust in him to help solve his problems.

Context

In 2 Kings 6 we read that around 850 B.C. the Syrian king Ben-Hadad, probably Ben-Hadad II, engaged in a series of raids against Israel. The king of Israel at this time was probably Joram, the son of Ahab. Ben-Hadad became frustrated because he learned that whenever he made plans to raid Israel, his strategies were revealed by God to the prophet Elisha who, in turn, disclosed these things to Joram, who then took the necessary actions to defeat Ben-Hadad.

Ben-Hadad already knew that there was a God and his prophet in Israel. In 2 Kings 5 we read that Ben-Hadad’s own general Naaman was healed by the prophet Elisha when he was sent to Israel by Ben-Hadad. But Ben-Hadad refused to give up his raids against Israel, even though now he fully understood that there was a true God in Israel. He refused to believe that the God of Israel would use his supernatural might to save Israel through his prophet Elisha.

In verse 13 of 2 Kings 6 we read that Ben-Hadad gave orders to his officers to find out where Elisha the prophet of God was. When they returned, they said that Elisha was staying at Dothan, about eleven miles north of Samaria. That night Ben-Hadad sent horses, chariots, and a strong force to Dothan for the sole purpose of capturing Elisha and either killing him or incarcerating him. He wanted to capture Elisha so that the flow of information to the king of Israel would be cut off and Ben-Hadad could succeed against Joram.

At this time Elisha had a new servant. He replaced the materialist Gehazi, who had become a leper, as we read in 2 Kings 5. The night after the Syrian troops arrived, this young theological student in training got up early in the morning, went outside, and saw a vast army with horses and chariots surrounding Dothan. He was utterly amazed by this sight. When he had gone to bed the night before, there had been nothing, but when he woke up, there was this great problem. He immediately ran inside to Elisha and reported this trouble, as we read in 2 Kings 6:15: “When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. ‘Oh, my lord, what shall we do?’ the servant asked.” That is the cry of desperation.

But Elisha the man of God was unafraid. Having heard as usual from God, he knew that this would happen, yet he refused to leave. There were several reasons God wanted Elisha to stay in Dothan. He wanted to demonstrate his power and teach the Syrians a lesson that they would never forget; he wanted Elisha’s young theological student to learn to trust in God and never be afraid; he wanted all Israel to know the ultimate reality of the kingdom of God and turn to him in faith; and he wanted the church of God throughout the ages to take heart from this example of seeing the invisible realities of God and his kingdom by faith and thus be emboldened to witness in this world.

In 2 Kings 6:18 we read, “As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, ‘Strike these people with blindness.’ So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked. Then Elisha led this blind army to the capital of Israel, Samaria, where he prayed, saying, “Lord, open the eyes of these men so they can see.” The Lord opened the physical eyes of these men and they discovered they were in Samaria. But God was gracious to these Syrians, and instead of destroying them, Israel fed them well and sent them back to Damascus. That was the end of the problem, at least for a while, as we read in verse 23: “So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel’s territory.” Later on, by divine ordination, Ben-Hadad’s own servant Hazael murdered Ben-Hadad, as we read in 2 Kings 8:14-15.

In this study we want to learn about the ultimate reality of God and his kingdom as symbolized by the chariots of horses and fire. We want to examine the fact that although Elisha and his attendant were confronted with the same problem, their reactions were quite different. Elisha remained calm in the face of this problem, while his servant became paralyzed with fear.

This sort of thing can happen to us overnight as it happened to them. When we go to bed at night,we can have no problems; yet when we get up, we are faced with all sorts of problems. It happens suddenly, without warning. How do we react to unexpected, serious problems? That is what we want to examine in this study. First, we want to look at the vision Elisha had; then we will look at the vision that his servant received.

The Vision of Elisha

When Elisha, the prophet of God, woke up and saw the Syrian army surrounding him in Dothan, rather than panicking, he remained calm and confident. He was rejoicing in God in the midst of his tribulations. Paul tells us in Romans 5 that Christians can do this when they are confronted with serious troubles.

You may wonder how Elisha could rejoice in the midst of tribulations. He could do so because he saw the invisible realities of the kingdom of God. He saw something that his servant did not and could not see. Elisha saw three facts about this problem, while his servant saw only two. I think this is true of a lot of Christians. They are like the servant. When a problem confronts them, they see only two facts. But Elisha saw three facts.

These three facts can be likened to three concentric circles. In the innermost circle we can picture Elisha and his servant. In the outermost circle we can picture the horses, the chariots, and the vast army of the Syrians. But there is a circle between these two, and that is what Elisha saw and his servant did not. Elisha saw Dothan being surrounded by horses and chariots of fire.

Why did Elisha stay calm and confident when he saw the Syrian forces? Because he saw this middle circle of horses and chariots of fire, representing the heavenly hosts, the spiritual realities, the ultimate reality of the forces of God protecting Elisha and his servant. Fire symbolized the supernatural powers which separated Elisha and his servant from all their enemies. So Elisha told his servant, “Don’t be afraid. . . . Those who are with us are greater than those who are with them” (2 Kings 6:16). The servant only saw two facts-himself and Elisha, and the vast physical army of Syria-and he was filled with terror.

We see the same idea of invisible spiritual realities in Exodus 14. God had led his people out of Egypt, but when they came to the Red Sea, they looked behind them and saw the armies of Pharaoh coming. So God was in front, leading his people, then his people were in the middle, and the armies of Pharaoh were behind them. But in Exodus 14:19 we read, “Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel.” We see the same idea in Zechariah 2:5 where we read that God himself will be a wall of fire around Jerusalem to protect it.

This is what we see by faith. God will never let us be surrounded by enemies without his coming between our enemies and ourselves.

“Fear Not”

Elisha saw the invisible realities of the fiery horses and chariots. He saw God’s holy angels surrounding him to defend him and his servant and to oppose the enemy forces of Syria. So he told his servant, “Don’t be afraid.” We see this refrain throughout the Bible: “Fear not, fear not, fear not.” “Fear not, I am with you,” Jesus told his disciples. “Peace, be still. Fear not.”

Why should we not fear? Elisha told his servant the reason: “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” The sight of supernatural forces surrounding Elisha made him utterly fearless and confident.

I hope we will be given that sight at the hour of our death. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to face death itself without fear? The angels of God will come and take us to his presence, as they did to the poor Lazarus of Luke 16.

However, the servant did not have this vision, and so he panicked. This is exactly the reason why we Christians panic and are anxious. The Lord Jesus Christ repeatedly told his disciples, “Don’t be anxious, don’t be anxious, don’t be anxious. Your heavenly Father knows what you need.” But we do panic, and that is why we should pray, “O God, open our eyes. We think this world is the ultimate reality. But the truth is, what we see is temporary. Yes, it is not unreal, but it is temporary, and that which is ultimate and most permanent is this eternal reality of the being of God and heaven and his angels.”

If God is for us, Paul says, who can be against us? Moses found out this Lord is a warrior, as we read in the song of Exodus 15. He is the warrior who fought Israel’s battles, which means he will fight our battles as well. It is he who threw the horse and the rider into the sea and taught Pharaoh a lesson, just as he later taught Ben-Hadad a lesson, taught Sennacherib a lesson, taught Nebuchadnezzar a lesson, and taught Belshazzar a lesson.

We must see the ultimate invisible realities of God and his kingdom, his angels, and his heaven. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God,” but all the fools of the world will be made to see in due course the ultimate reality of God and his kingdom, because they all will be summoned to stand before the very being of God. And when we see the ultimate invisible reality of God, we will not fear. Fear not, Christian. Fear not, church of God. Did he say in his word, “I will be with you sometime?” No, he said, “I will be with you always, even unto the end of the ages.”

Isaiah speaks about this great commitment of God to us in Isaiah 43:1-3, “But now, this is what the Lord says-he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. . . .” God is with us, and his angels are around us. They are surrounding us even now, though we see them only by the eye of faith. That is why we need not fear.

In Psalm 112:6-8 we read, “Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.” In Psalm 16:8 David tells us, “I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” Joshua realized that with him was the commander of the army of the Lord, standing with drawn sword. May God give us eyes of faith to see all of these heavenly realities, that we may live in confidence and be unafraid!

Surrounded by the Angels of God

Throughout the Bible we read about angels of fire, chariots of fire, horses of fire, angelic beings, surrounding and protecting the people of God. In Psalm 34:7 we read, “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.” The angel of the Lord does not encamp around everyone, but only those who fear God.

That word “fear” is very important to note. In the Bible one who fears God means one who submits to the will of God, no matter what. A God-fearing person is one who submits always to the will of God. Such a person is surrounded by the angel of the Lord and is delivered by him.

In Psalm 91:11-12 we read, “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Here is a promise that says God sends his holy angels to protect us at all times. Call them chariots and horses of fire or angels, if we are God’s people, supernatural beings encamp around us and protect us, and we see this reality, not by the eyes of the flesh, but by faith.

In Hebrews 1 we read that Jesus Christ is superior to angels, and then the writer tells us something about angels. Who are they? Are they superior to us? Absolutely not! That is an amazing truth. In Hebrews 1:14 we read, “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to minister to those who will inherit salvation?” God commands his angels to protect us, if we are Christians. This is an amazing truth revealed in the Holy Scriptures.

Angels are also present whenever we come together to worship. In Hebrews 12:22-24 we find something that we may not be aware of. I am sure many of us think that when we come together to worship we just see each other and go home. No, we come before Almighty God, and there is a profound spiritual reality which I hope you will understand by the eyes of faith: “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God,” the writer says. He is not speaking about one day we will get to heaven, but about whenever the church comes together to worship. (PGM) He continues, “You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.”

When we come to church, we are coming to worship God, and where God is, there are angels-myriads of them! These same angels stand before God and are ordered by God our Savior to guard us all the time, when we go and when we come. I believe in God and in his holy angels, whose job it is to take care of us.

In the book of Genesis we read about Jacob. Remember this crooked fellow? God dealt with him and saved him. In Genesis 32 we find him returning to the Promised Land when the news comes to him that his brother Esau is coming to meet him. Jacob was filled with terror, because he thought his brother was coming to destroy him.

In Genesis 32:1-2 we read, “Jacob also went on his way and the angels of God met him. When Jacob saw them he said, ‘This is the camp of God!'” Actually, there were probably two camps, two circles. There was Jacob and his people-the church of God-on the inside, and then an outer circle consisting of angels. What more could Jacob want? In other words, everything was taken care of for him, and he knew that no one could destroy him. “I am for you, Jacob,” God told him. “I am the God who appeared to you in Bethel, where you saw a ladder that reached up to the heavens, and angels ascending and descending upon it. Remember, I the Lord spoke to you from the top of the ladder!”

God and his angels are for us. But just as God told Jacob not to worry, in the same way he speaks to us as his church, and tells us, “Do not worry. I and my angels are for you.” These are ultimate realities.

Remember Hezekiah? Sennacherib of Assyria wanted to destroy him and the city of Jerusalem. But in 2 Chronicles 32:7-8 Hezekiah tells his subjects, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him.” He was speaking of the ultimate reality, the chariots and horses of fire. It was a metaphor for heavenly reality, supernatural forces and powers God was providing for the defense and salvation of Jerusalem.

Then Hezekiah said, “With [the king of Assyria] is only the arm of the flesh,” meaning physical, material strength, “but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.” Have you thought about that? And in 2 Chronicles 32:21 we read, “And the Lord sent an angel who annihilated all the fighting men and the leaders and the officials in the camp of the Assyrian king.” We are told in Isaiah 37:36 that one hundred and eighty-five thousand Assyrian army were destroyed instantly by this one angel. These are the chariots and horses of fire.

We see these heavenly beings throughout the life of Jesus Christ himself. At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus fasted forty days, and then was tempted by Satan. After Jesus resisted Satan’s temptations, we are told the angels came and ministered to him.

In Gethsemane the Lord Jesus was praying earnestly, agonizing so much so that the Bible tells us his sweat was like drops of blood. In Luke 22:43 we read, “An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.” Again, chariots and horses of fire.

When he was being arrested, Jesus told his disciples, “You know, I can now ask for twelve legions of angels to come and defend me.” But unlike Elisha, Jesus did not rally the heavenly troops in his behalf. He allowed himself to be arrested, according to God’s eternal decree and determination, and was crucified for our salvation.

I hope you will see that middle circle, as Elisha did. There is no question there is an enemy. If you are a Christian, the world hates you, the devil hates you, and demons hate you. In fact, maybe your wife or child or parent hate you, too, but don’t worry. Keep your eye on that middle circle consisting of God’s angels-the chariots and horses of fire-and remind yourself, “Those who are with me are more than those who are with them,” and, as the apostle John tells us, “The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

The Vision of the Servant

Having looked at the vision of Elisha, let us now examine the vision of the servant. The servant was blind to the supernatural reality of God’s power-the horses and chariots of fire-surrounding him. It was always there! It didn’t come because Elisha prayed; it was there! Isn’t that wonderful? Even when we don’t pray, God’s power is there to help us, because we are God’s people.

Confronted by the sudden trouble of being surrounded by the Syrian army, the servant ran to Elisha, crying, “Woe unto me! Woe unto us, Elisha! We are in trouble.” What is the first thing Elisha did? He ministered to his servant from the word of God. That is the first thing you have to do when you are faced with sudden troubles. People experience deep trouble, and the first thing we must do is minister from the word. “Fear not!” That was God’s word to the servant. “Fear not!”

What is the second thing Elisha did? Pray. And what was his prayer? “Lord, open this young man’s eyes, that he can see your power.” Our eyes must be opened that we may see the supernatural reality that always surrounds us to defend us. We must understand that we cannot open anyone’s eyes. We can only minister the gospel and pray. But we can pray perseveringly, passionately, believingly, and expectantly, for God to open the eyes of the blind.

Then we are told that the Lord opened the eyes of the blind. The Lord must do this. Satan’s business is to blind the eyes of the unbelieving, and God’s business is to open them.

In 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 we read,

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

This is what happened to Saul of Tarsus. He was a blind man, breathing out slaughter and threatening, an enemy of the church of Jesus Christ and an enemy of God. All of a sudden God opened his eyes and he saw the resurrected Jesus Christ.

Why don’t people believe in the gospel? Satan has blinded their eyes. What should we do? You preach the gospel to them and pray for them, “O God, regenerate these people that they may see the Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Lord alone can open blind men’s eyes. And when the Lord opens our eyes, we don’t see gold and silver, position and power. We see Jesus. If you only see gold and silver, position and power, you are only seeing the temporal, that which is passing away. Then we must pray, “O God, open our eyes that we may see the eternal reality, first, which is the very being of God in the person of Jesus Christ.”

First of all, then, we see Jesus. Look at the blind Bartimaeus. When he was told that Jesus was passing by, he cried out, “Have mercy upon me, son of David,” and he was healed. The first person he saw was Jesus, and he followed him. That is what will happen when God opens our eyes.

Initially, the servant could not see the heavenly realities. That is the case of every unbeliever. Oh, unbelievers have good eyesight when it comes to seeing creation. They can study stars, atomic structure, cellular structure. He can do genome research and examine the solar system, looking through microscopes and telescopes. But unbelievers cannot see Jesus; therefore, they are full of fears, phobias, anxieties, and hopelessness. They are of all men most miserable in the height of their power and position and riches, because they hate light and love darkness.

What can we do as Christians? Do what Elisha did. We must preach the word, saying, “Repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Tell them Christ died for our sins. Then we must pray for them, saying, “O God, open their eyes.”

The Lord opened the eyes of Elisha’s servant, and he saw the heavenly troops surrounding him. Now he was calm and no longer anxious. I am sure he was also filled with wonder and awe at this great display of God’s love and protection. That is why Paul writes that we rejoice in tribulations also, and Jesus said that when people persecute us, we can rejoice and be glad. When we realize God is with us, we will rejoice, no matter what trouble we face.

May God Open Our Eyes!

I pray that God will open our eyes, as he opened the eyes of Elisha’s servant, that we may see that God is with us, that his fiery angels are with us, that his people are with us, that the kingdom of God surrounds us, and that omnipotence supports us. God himself is a wall of fire around us, and no man can touch us because we are well-protected by this wall of fire. The angel of the Lord has come between us and our enemies, and we have no more fear and no more questions. Elisha’s servant could now rejoice as he looked out at the enemies. It is reminiscent of what David said in Psalm 23, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”

So go ahead, look at your enemies and troubles. Look at the unbelieving mocking world. Look at the devils all around us. Look at the decaying culture. But as you are looking, keep preaching and praying. There are a lot of blind eyes around you, including your own children and your own family. And then begin to preach the gospel and pray for these people, “O God, open the eyes of my son. Open the eyes of my daughter. And, O God, increase my own faith. I need greater sight. O Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief.” Look again with the opened eye of faith and you will see yourself kept in the hollow of his hand, shielded by God’s omnipotence. Then you will break forth into joyful singing, and you will say, along with the apostle Paul in Romans 8:35, 37-39,

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?. . . No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

That is what we all will say when our eyes are opened and we see the greater reality of the kingdom of God, when we see the horses and chariots of fire. Everything will be all right. We are in the very hollow of the Father’s hand, united with the Lord Jesus Christ. No man can touch us without touching him with whom we are linked and united now and forever.

Let me ask you: What are you fearing? Are you saying, “Alas, what can I do? Woe unto me! No one cares for me and I am in deep trouble. Everyone has forsaken me”? But has everyone forsaken you? No. Jesus Christ himself told us, “I will never leave you nor forsake you. I will be with you always, even unto the end of the ages.”

Therefore, I exhort you, when you encounter troubles, don’t give up. Ask God to open your eyes, that you may see the middle circle of the kingdom of God-God’s might and God’s power-present in behalf of you. As you see this ultimate reality of God and his angels, know that you are linked by faith to God, who will never abandon us. He is our Savior who has saved us, who will save us, and who is saving us, now and for all eternity. Amen.