TODAY’S MANNA SUNDAY, May 6, 2018
TOPIC: OUR CONFIDENCE
TEXT: 2 KINGS 6:8-23
1) THE KEY VERSE:
“And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them” (2 Kings 6:16).
2) THE TEXT:
(2 KINGS 6: 8 – 23 KJV)
“6:8 Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp.
6:9 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 come down.
6:10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.
6:11 Therefore 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 shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?
6:12 And one of his servants said, None, 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.
6:13 And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.
6:14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.
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?
6:16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
6:17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD 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.
6:18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
6:19 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. But he led them to Samaria.
6:20 And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.
6:21 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?
6:22 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.
6:23 And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.”
3) THE MESSAGE:
i) The prophets of God were useful to the kings and leaders of Israel in various ways.
a) They confronted and exposed idolatry and helped to create a conducive environment for the people to freely and publicly worship the Almighty God.
b) They demonstrated confidence in God when their situations demanded worry and anxiety.
ii) Elisha was one of the outstanding prophets in Bible days. He demonstrated his confidence in God when it appeared there was no hope.
iii) The Bible records eighteen encounters between him and needy people. Each time, he expressed his confidence in the power of God.
iv) In our text, the king of Syria was in a fix. Time after time, his military aggression against Israel had ended up in woeful defeat as they tried to fight Israel.
v) The Syrian king then suspected there was a traitor among his soldiers. Informed that the ‘traitor’ was Elisha who was revealing his strategies, he sent soldiers, with chariots and horses to trap and kill the prophet at Dothan.
vi) Elisha’s servant was alarmed when he saw the physical army, chariots and horses of Syria. But Elisha was not moved. He believed in the power of God. God’s answer to Elisha’s prayer opened his servant’s eyes to see the mighty army of heaven. His confidence was re-kindled.
vii) When we face difficulties that look seemingly insurmountable, we should not forget the myriads of spiritual resources and forces God has put at our disposal even though we may not see them with our physical eyes.
viii) As believers, we must always walk by faith and not by sight. We should resolve to look away from difficulties, however challenging and, instead, look up unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.
4) THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
There is great reward for our confidence in God.
5) BIBLE READING IN ONE YEAR:
PSALM 89;
96;
100;
101;
105;
132
Happy Sunday
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