03 When God Calls: But I'm Afraid (2 Kings 6)

Krisan Marotta: This is the Wednesday in the Word podcast, and I'm Krisan Marotta. Thanks so much for joining us today. This is the third talk in our series, When God Calls, and our passage will be 2 Kings chapter 6. So we're going to finish with Elijah today. We've looked at his calling and talked about how the primary qualification you need is humble, faithful obedience, and that God will take care of the rest. Then we looked at the story of Naaman and asked, What is greatness? How do you be great in the kingdom of God? And we talked about how the path of God sometimes seems silly to the world, and that our goal should be love and obedience, not impact. And to be great, you only need to do what God has called you to do, no more and no less. So today we're going to look at the question, I'm afraid. So, okay, God's made a path clear. This is what I think he's calling me to do, and I'm just a plain afraid to follow him. What then? What if the path just seems overwhelming or frightening or way too out of reach? What do I do? And we're going to tackle that question with two stories from 2 Kings 6. So if you turn your Bible, turn to 2 Kings chapter 6. These are two more Elisha stories. They may be familiar to you, they may not. There was some of his more famous stories. And it's interesting to me that the author of Kings put them side by side, because what we're going to see in the first story is God at Work in ordinary, everyday, daily life. And then in the second story, we're going to see God at work in kind of life and death global politics. So it's very interesting to me that the author put them side by side. So let's start with the Actshead story, which is in 2 Kings verses 1 through 7. The first time I read this, I was like, why is this even in the Bible? I could not figure out why God would use a miracle in this situation. So that's that's the first thing we're going to tackle. So look at 2 Kings chapter 6. I'm going to read you verses 1 through 7. Now the sons of the prophets said to Elijah, See the place where we dwell under your charge is too small for us. Let us go to the Jordan, and each of us and each of us get there a log, and let us make a place to for us to dwell there. And he answered, Go. Then one of them said, Be pleased to go with your servants, and he answered, I will go. So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees, but as one was felling a log, his axe head fell into the water, and he cried out, Alas, my master, it was borrowed. Then the man of God said, Where did it fall? When he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in in there and made the iron float. And he said, Take it up. So he reached out his hand and took it. So this is kind of a normal everyday situation. Elijah and the other prophets say, We've outgrown our building. It's too small. We need to build another one. Let's go down and start felling the trees to make a new building. And they go. And while they're out there, one of the men drops a borrowed axe head, probably it flew off the handle or something and landed in the river. And God used a miracle to get it back. Now I can't tell you how many times I've lost my car keys, and I never got a prophet to come find them for me. So I mean you read this and you think, of all the things he could do, why save an axe head? Well, I think the key to this passage is knowing the worth of the axe head. This is expensive. The and the prophet who lost it is now in absolute huge debt. So we usually date the Iron Age to around 1200 BC. This is probably about 850 BC. And Israel lagged behind her neighboring countries in technology, so it's probably early Iron Age for them. Iron implements were very expensive. They took a long time to make. I mean, this was a long, expensive process process. So losing a borrowed exheat is more like borrowing a BMW and wrecking it, you know, or a brand new $100,000 car or something. So the prophet's alarmed because he's just incurred tremendous debt. And probably the only way he could repay it is to sell himself into slavery, which was typically what happened if you couldn't pay your debts, is you had to sell yourself into it, basically indentured servitude until your debt was pay off, paid off. So this is not like, oh, I lost my car keys. This is I just wrecked my life. I am now going into slavery to solve this problem. So Elisha asks where the axe head fell, and when he the other man shows him the spot, he throws in a stick and makes the axe head float and they retrieve it. So why would God do this? What's he trying to teach us? Why would he supernaturally intervene here? And I think there's a couple of things. One relates to our theme and one doesn't. So the one that doesn't relate to our theme is that God cre controls creation. It does not control him. And that's actually a theme that runs throughout Kings because the pro the other gods of the day were controlled by nature. So the Baal worshippers believed that there was a judge river and there was a prince sea, and they were rivals of their Baal god, and then they would like war, and sometimes Baal would win, and sometimes he would lose. And the river, the forces of nature, could overwhelm the other gods that were popular in that day. So one of the things we see in Kings is creation is no match for Yahweh. He does not, he is not threatened by rivers, he's not threatened by mountains, he's not threatened by anything in creation. So the river and the water do his bidding, not the other way around. So there's a sense in which that's one of the things I think he's teaching is that God is a God of over everything. But probably more importantly, it's also teaching that God is a redeeming God, that he delivers his people from slavery. So this prophet is now doomed to a life of slavery, and Elijah has supernaturally Elisha has supernaturally delivered him. And I think that's to teach that God cares about his people. He redeems them. He just as he took them out of bondage in Egypt, he sent his son to die for us to buy us out of our debt to sin. So the particularly for the first readers of kings who were the exiles in Babylon, this would have been welcome news because they're in exile when this book was written and proclaimed to them. Now the events were prior, but it was probably written during the time they were in exile. So they're in that spot of is God ever going to forgive us? Is he ever going to bring us back? Will we make it back to the land? And this is a story of saying, yes, God is a redeeming God, he will bring you back. So it's pointing to the day when God will make everything right because Christ has paid our debt to sin. So the same God who commanded the axe head will eventually walk on the water, who will calm the storms in the Sea of Galilee and die on the cross for us. But I think for our purposes, I think it shows us that we can meet God in the midst of our mundane, daily, everyday world. So notice that this miracle does not occur in a church. This is not a special event, this is not a religious festival, it's not a holiday, they're not doing a Bible study or any kind of special worship time. They're out sweating, cutting down trees. The prophet's not doing anything particularly religious or worshipful or reflective or meditative. He's working, he's sweating, he's felling trees. And God reaches out right in the midst of his everyday, mundane, work-aday world. And I think that's one of the lessons to take away from this is that God is willing to enter our daily lives, whatever it is. So when Peter says, cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you, he means all your anxiety, day in, day out. It doesn't have to be super calling, super job, super wife, whatever. Whatever you're anxious about, whatever your day-to-day worries are, you can cast them on him. Alright, so that's our first story. So you see, God at work in daily life, an ordinary person on his ordinary work day, God meets him right where he needs to be to buy him back out of slavery. Now we're going to move to international politics. Look at 2 Kings 6.8. Once when the king of Syria was warring against Israel, he took counsel with his servants, saying, At such and such a place shall be my camp. But the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are going down there. And the king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God told him. Thus he used to warn him, so that he saved himself there more than once or twice. So let me just set the scene historically where we are. This is still Elisha, when they're talking about the man of God, they're talking about the prophet Elijah. Joram is the son of Ahab, and Jezebel is now reigning. Bin Hadad is still the king in Aram or Syria. And he's sending out his spies, picking out a place to ambush Israel, and then saying, Here's where we're going to carry out the ambush. Elisha finds out about it, probably through divine revelation. He tells the king, the king's sending spies out, confirms the information, and then no one shows up. So when the Syrian army gets there, what would be this classic ambush location, no one else is there. So God once again is stepping in into time and space, and by divine revelation, probably informing Elisha every plan of the king. And he's in turn saving the people of Israel. So as we see God at work now in international politics, which I think is interesting. Why did he put these two side by side? Here you have this one lonely prophet whose name we don't even know, and God reaches in and rescues him from slavery. And then you see in the very next episode to the life of two nations. So this is war. Hundreds of lives may have been at stake or thousands, we don't know exactly. But you see God at work to prevent the conflict. And he's saving not only Hebrew lives, but Gentile lives. So we have this, I think, wonderful conflicts. But the king's not satisfied with that. Look at 11 through 14, the king of Syria. He wants to know what's going on. The mind of the king was greatly troubled because of this thing. He called his servants and said to them, Will you not show me which of us who of us is a spy for the well, who of us is for the king of Israel? And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king, but Elijah the prophet, who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom. And he said, Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him. It was told him, Behold, he is in Dothan. So he sent their horses and chariots and a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city. So the king of Syria is now finally fed up. He says, All right, who's the spy? Which one of you is informing on us and telling the king of Israel? And it's amazing that he has no clue what's really going on, but his men do. Now, how do they know? Have they been talking to the same Israelite slave girl? We're not told how they knew, but apparently everyone else seems to know. No one's a spy, no one's disloyal. There's a prophet of God in Israel who knows every word you speak in your bedroom. And that's a new experience for the king because his gods don't do that. They have no eyes, they have no ears, they don't respond when he talks to them, they can't answer him. In fact, he can manipulate his gods through idol worship and all the different things, trying to get them to bless him or do his bidding. Now he's faced with a God who from whom nothing is hidden. So we've gone from God at work in everyday life to God at international politics to a God who knows your innermost secrets and the things you whisper on your pillow. So finally, his failures on the battlefield make sense. Elijah's the eyes and ears of Israel, so he says, Let's tell me where this man of God is, tell me where Elijah is, we're going to go take care of him. So they find out he's living in the city of Dothan, which is about 10 miles north of the capital of Samaria. It's also the city where Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery, way back when. So he sends his large army and they surround the city. All right, so now what happens? So look at 6.15. When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, Alas, my master, what shall we do? So you can imagine the scene. The servant gets up, you know, gets his cup of coffee, wanders out to the garden, looks up in the hills to see it's surrounded by the enemy. Horses, chariots, implements of war, they're surrounding him. Fear grips his heart, and he says, What do we do? Then 6.16 he said, This is Elijah, do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them. Then Elisha prayed and said, O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see. So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elijah. That's probably the part you're familiar with. So Elisha basically says, Don't be afraid, those who are with us are more than those who are with them. He prays that his servant's eyes would be opened, and when his eyes are opened, he sees that they are surrounded by the army of God. Now the scriptures are filled with the truth that the physical world, what we can see, is not all there is, but we get so caught up in the pressures of daily life, the details of our lives that we forget that there is something else going on. There's more out there. And not only is God there, but he's the author, the creator, the sustainer of it all. He's at work in our daily routines. He's at work in the larger area of global politics, and he knows the innermost secrets of our hearts, and he is with us. So that prayer that we all pray in those times of fear and distress, open my eyes that I can see. Show me what's really going on here. Show me what you're doing behind the curtains of history. So the servant of Elijah now sees the hills are filled with horses and chariots of fire, probably not material fire, but like the glory and the brightness of God in that sense. And he sees that God is positioned to protect his prophet and his people. So you would think now we're going to see a war. So we've got these armies on the hills. Now the servant can see there's another army, but that's not what happens. Look at 6, 18 and 19. And when the Syrians came down against him, Elijah prayed to the Lord and said, Please strike this people with blindness. So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha. And Elisha said to them, This is not the way, this is not the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek. And he led them to Samaria. So, kind of like Obi-Wan, this is not the droids you're looking for. You know, it's kind of like But what's the goal in war? If you're at war, the goal is to kill more of the enemy than they can kill of you. So that's what we would expect to happen, but that's not what happens. Elijah prays, he doesn't panic, his heart is not filled with fear. He says, um, basically, strike them blind. And here, this army that hated the God of Israel, that hated Israel's prophet, he doesn't say strike them down, give them a plague, whatever. He says, just make them blind, and they are struck blind. So his first uh this is the army's first escape with death. So think about now you're this invading army, suddenly you can't see. You expect to be killed, but you are in fact shown mercy. And I think what's happening is God is making the inward reality of their hearts manifest on the outside. So they are spiritually blind, and now he's made them physically blind on the outside. And it's going to teach them in the end what who's really God. So he's manifested their spiritual blindness on the outside. And he says, Follow me, I'll lead you to Samaria. Also, he didn't need to do that. He could have accomplished his purpose as right there in Dothan. So picture in your mind, like if this was a movie scene, you'd have this monster army of Syria with all their horses and their chariots and their catapults and whatever else they brought with them and their swords, and they're like blind, you know, walking on the person in front of them, following this little short bald guy. Because we know from scripture allies Elisha was short and bald, and they're just walking down the road, following this little guy. You know, that can you imagine what the people of Israel thought? There's the prophet of God leading the invading army like children or like puppies on a leash. That had to be a great witness to the people that God is with them and working with them. So what happens when they get to Samaria? 620. As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha said, O Lord, open the eyes of these men that they may see. So the Lord opened their eyes and they saw, and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. As soon as the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, My father, shall I strike them down? Shall I strike them down? He answered, You shall not strike them down. Would you strike down those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master. So he prepared for them a great feast, and when they had eaten and drunk, they went away, and they went to their master. And the Syrians did not come again on raids into the land of Israel. Gee, I wonder why. You'd think this is an incredible witness. Once they arrive in Samaria, now they're surrounded, they're in the midst of the enemy camp. What do they expect to happen? We're about to be killed, we're about to be ambushed, we're now surrounded, we're defenseless. And so suddenly, you know, their eyes clear, they're surrounded by Joram's truth, and the king's wildly excited, going, Shall I kill him? Shall I kill him? And they're spared again. They are now fed, sent on their way back to Samaria. So they're no longer physically blind, and I think, I'm assuming they are no longer spiritually blind because they don't come back. They stop their raiding parties. So I assume they stop because now they know that there is a God in Israel and that he is stronger than their God. And notice that the king's agenda is to stop the raids. He wants to kill them so that they won't come back and keep fighting him. And because that's how you end a war, is you have to kill more of the enemy than they kill of you. And God is going to stop the war, but he doesn't stop it through killing, he stops it through conversion. So he changed their hearts so that they knew who the Lord God is, and they no longer make their raids. And that would have been a huge witness, I think, not only to the invading army, but to the people of Samaria and the people of Israel, because they've seen God is taking care of them in a way they never expected. They've seen this prophet calmly walking along with the invading army, leading them right into the midst of the city, and yet they are shown mercy. And then when the army goes home, what are they going to do? They're going to tell this tale. They're going to spread it all over Samaria. Guess what the God of Israel did? Look what happened to us. We can't explain it. We were blind, and then we could see, and God gave us, uh, their God showed us mercy. And that by bringing them to Samaria, the people of Samaria also saw that their God was still taking care of them. I mean, I can't imagine what a witness that must have been. And that act of kindness, I think, would ripple through the nation. That as these these armies told their story, it would be a witness to the God of Israel. So these stories are a picture, I think, of God's mercy and redemption. You see him acting to keep his prophet from slavery. Then you see him acting to protect his prophet on earth. You see him acting to feed and extend mercy to an enemy, to a hated enemy, and opening their eyes so that they see he is the Lord, he is God. The king of Aram's solution to the problem was to kill the prophet, but God's solution was to convert those who were trying to thwart him, to open their eyes. So when God calls you to do something and you're afraid, what what what can you learn from the story? What theology ought to kick in? I think the first thing is that God's solutions are bigger than any of our problems. So we think, you know, the prophet who lost an axe head learned that God's concerned with the details of his life. That may seem like a minor problem, but that was actually a major problem for him, and God was involved in it. Elisha's servant learned that God is with them even when he couldn't see them. That even though he couldn't see the army of God around him, they were protected. They were there, God was still at work in their lives. The king of Syria, the king of Israel learned that God is the one who controls their battles and controls their victories. So they think they're doing these great international politics and leading a nation, and yet their success and failure also comes from the hand of God. And I think in all of that we see there's no problem so big, so small, or too out of God's reach that he can't handle it. Nothing's too small like the axe head, nothing's too big like an invading army, and nothing is too personal like the king's pillow tuck. God is there in all of it. And notice he never does what's expected. He um I doubt that the army expected to be fed and watered. I doubt that the prophet expected to get his axe head back. He in all of this, God did. The thing that he was not expected to do, and that's often how he treats us. We think, well, here's the solution to my problems. This is the only way it can be found. And yet God may have a whole nother plan. So we may not see the army of the God encapped around us, but scripture teaches us he's there, whether we see it or not. Nothing's out of his control. Nothing takes him by surprise. You can't make a mistake in your calling such that now you're on plan B or plan J or whatever, that there's no random chance God is still in control. There's no bad luck in that sense. There's a God who cares, he's in control, and he's intimately involved in your life. So when you're tempted to think, oh, you know, God doesn't care for me. This is my own little financial struggle or my own personal trauma or my own little family drama or my own issue. It's not that big a deal. No one else cares. It's only a big deal to me. And you think, well, maybe God doesn't care. That's not true. He cares personally. He has ordained all the days of your life, every day. You don't have to earn his favor. You don't have to pray enough or study enough or be religious enough. He's already involved. So he has a plan, even though we may not see it, we may not understand it. It may not be the easy route, but it's still a plan. There's a great cartoon. I tried to get a big enough copy I could show you, but I couldn't get one high enough resolution. But it's got a guy on a bicycle, and it underneath it's like, here's the starting line, and here's the finish line, and underneath it says my plan, and he goes straight from the starting line to the finish line. And then in the next chapter, he's on his bicycle, here's the starting line, here's the finish line, and it's like up and down and over hills and valleys, and all around it says God's plan. It's like we don't always go from A to Z in the straight, easy path, the straight line. Sometimes it's hard, sometimes there are pitfalls, sometimes it's the unexpected. I don't think Elisha's servant expected to see the hills filled with the army of God. I don't think the Syrian soldiers expected to tell the tale of their physical blindness, or that the prophet of God expected to lose an axe head and then have it miraculously returned. And if they had written their stories, they probably wouldn't have written that way. And yet it was God's plan for them. So let me just review our five steps then. When God calls five ways to run your race well, first one, follow God's call with humble faith and obedience. That's the burn your ox story. Just say yes, follow him wherever he leads you. The second one, trust God to equip you for that call. That's the story where Elisha asks for the double portion of the Spirit. If you know you're inadequate, that's a great first step. Ask God to equip you. The third one, seek greatness by doing only that which he calls you to do, no more and no less. So greatness is obedience. It is following him, whatever it is. Let him take care of fame, fortune, impact, and so on. Which leads us to the fourth one. Aim for self-sacrificing love, not impact. So aim for obedience, not fame, fortune, impact. And then the fifth one from today, when you're afraid, remember nothing is too big or too small for God to handle. That's the story of do not be afraid for those who are with us are more than those who are with them. That is just as true today as it was when Elisha said it to his servant. It's 2 Kings 6, 16. Do not be afraid for those who are with us are more than those who are with them. So when you're afraid, number five is when you're afraid, nothing is too big or too small for God to handle. Let me pray. Father, thank you for uh being a God who calls us and lets us have a role in your kingdom. I know you could accomplish your will without us, and it's by your grace and your mercy that you give us a role to play, and that that role teaches us and benefits others as well. And we just pray that as we go through our days, we go back to the real world, away from the retreat center, that we would remember these truths and be looking for the ways we can be humbly faithful to whatever you call us to do, to be content with what it is, and not to look too far in the future, but just to know that this is your plan. Nothing is out of your control. In Jesus' name. Amen.