Open, Close, Open
2 Kings 6:17-23
Introduction:
The title of this evening’s study sounds like we are at an eye doctor’s office for a check-up. Everyone one of us here enjoy being able to see with our eyes. If our sight gets bad we get glasses, contacts, or various types and forms of surgeries to help restore our eyes to better sight. To some extent we fear losing our sight and all that would go along with that. A number of years ago one of the Baptist Bible Union pastors, Pastor Bob Southworth who was pastoring Dexter Baptist Church had a slight stroke but it took his eyesight away almost immediately. He wrestled for some time with this happening to him and we prayed for him.This evening we are going to be studying about eyes that could see but could not see, and eyes that could see, then were blinded, and then made to see again. Our study continues were we left off last Wednesday PM in our continuing studies about the OT prophet Elisha. We saw then how the Syrian king decided to again begin his attacks upon Israel, but soon learned that every time he planned an ambush it was being made known to the king of Israel and they escaped. He soon learned that it was the prophet Elisha and that even his bedroom talk was being made known to the king of Israel. His plan was simple (in more ways than one) - go and get Elisha and stop him from doing this. We ended the study last week with Elisha’s servant looking out one morning to find the town of Dothan surrounded by Syrian troops who had come for Elisha. He was struck with sudden fear but was told by Elisha to not fear because those with them were more than those who wanted to get them.
In tonight’s study we are going to see Elisha praying three times and each time it has something to do with the eyes, either the physical eyes or the spiritual eyes.
I. Open His Eyes -- 6:17
1. This is a prayer for Elisha’s servant’s eyes to be able to see the surrounding army from Heaven sent by God to protect Elisha from the host of the Syrians. As we saw in last week’s study, this unnamed replacement for Gehazi is filled with fear as he sees that they are surrounded by those who wish to harm them.
2. Elisha’s prayer was quite simple - “Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see.” The result was immediate for the young man saw that the mountain was full of the hosts from Heaven and there was nothing to fear. He was able to see what Elisha could already see. It was certainly a wondrous thing he was allowed to see and it took away his fear.
3. David speaks of having no fear when surrounded by enemies in
Psalm 3:6: I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about. How was David able to say this? What was the basis of this bold statement? Psalm 34:7 says: The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.4. There is no reason for us to fear for the same power surrounds us.
5. We too can pray that we may see wondrous things. The truth of that statement is substantiated in Psalm 119:18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. The wondrous things we ought to seek to see are from God’s Word. If David realized that he needed God’s help to open his “spiritual” eyes to the wondrous things found in God’s Word, then I believe we need to seek the same from God. The Holy Spirit of God will illuminate the Word of God as we study and meditate on it - but we ought to ask Him to help us see these things.
6. 1 Cor. 2:12-14 teaches us this same truth: Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
7. I believe we ought to be praying that our own eyes and the eyes of our brothers and sisters in Christ will be “open” to the truth that is found in God’s Word. We ought to be praying that we and they will read, be taught, and then obey what God’s Word says. We can only walk where we can see!
8. A praise song popular for several years now starts off with the truth we are looking at here. Here are the words to the first part of the song: (Open the eyes of my heart, Lord; Open the eyes of my heart; I want to see You; I want to see You.)
9. Is this our prayer for ourselves and others that our eyes will be open to the things of God? If it is I can say with assurance that God will let out “eyes” see wondrous things that will embolden us to go forward for Him no matter what surrounds us in this world.
II. Close Their Eyes -- 6:18,19
1. Elisha’s prayer here is again simple, straightforward, and strong - “Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness.” The blindness that Elisha prayed for was physical blindness - they were already spiritually blind. The blindness would take away all their effectiveness as a fighting force. Have you noticed that America does not fill it’s fighting ranks with blind people? There would be nothing more helpless than a blind soldier on a battlefield.
2. Amazingly this whole fighting force sent to Dothan by the Syrian king becomes just that - a blind army. As such they were totally helpless and at the mercy of everyone around them. How do you fight that which you cannot see? Fortunately for them, the first one to arrive on the scene was none other than the man they were seeking. Though he led them away from their objective and into harms way, it was a good thing he was with them.
3. There is a similar example of this taking place in
Gen. 19:11 against the men of Sodom who wanted Lot to send out the two angels in his home: And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.4. What we find here in 2 Kings 6 is speaking of blindness of the physical eyes, but the Word of God also speaks of a blindness of the spiritual eyes. A number of times in the OT God speaks of the blindness of His people to walk in the ways He has set before them, and thus were going to suffer the consequences He promised them in Deuteronomy. Because they did not care to obey Him they were allowed to experience “closed eyes” (
Isaiah 29:10). In the NT we find the word “blindness” two times, and between the two of them they cover everyone outside of Christ.a.
b.
Ephesians 4:17,18 speaks of the blindness of the Gentiles: This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:5. People are spiritually blind because they are born that way - lost sinners. The spiritual surgery of removing the scales off of their eyes only takes place when they place their faith and trust in the finished work of Christ.
6. As we see in the text here, Elisha led them by the way into Samaria. There is a verse in
Isaiah 42:16 that speaks of God doing the same thing with his blind people Israel: And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.7. We need to praise the Lord that He did not forsake us when we were yet in our state of spiritual blindness before we were saved; when we stumbled in spiritual darkness.
III. Open Their Eyes -- 6:20-23
1. For the third time the power of Elisha’s prayers is felt by those in this story. The prayer is exactly the same as for his servant except for many. The difference in their eyes being opened from his servant’s is that theirs only involved their sight being restored, whereas his was on a different plane.
2. They are immediately healed of their blindness and find that they are in Samaria and the king of Israel is beside himself with the opportunity that has just presented itself to him - get rid of the whole Syrian host right there and then. Elisha reprimands him and tells him to give them food and water and to send them back to the king of Syria. This resulted in a temporary period of peace.
3. From 2 Kings 6:24,25 it is clear that neither king learned much from this miracle. The King of Israel, Joram, and the King of Syria, Benhaddad, both went back to trusting in their own strength instead of looking to God.
4. For our purposes this evening, though, the opening of the blind eyes of the Syrian host has some spiritual pictures for us. These fellows, in their blindness, represent all those in this world who are blind in their state of sin and depravity. They did not deserve to have their eye sight restored but it was, to everyone of them. God was gracious toward them through the kindness and graciousness of Elisha. It was God that brought blindness upon them and it was God that restored their sight as a result of the prayer of faith on the part of Elisha.
5. I found some familiar verses that deal with God restoring spiritual sight to those who had been blind spiritually.
a.
b.
Isaiah 29:18 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.c. Acts 26:18, which is part of Jesus’ commission of Paul at the time of his salvation on the road to Damscus: To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
6. Praise God, in His time and manner, He opened each of eyes to our need of forgiveness of our sins through Christ. Like Elisha did to the Syrian soldiers in their blindness, He led us along until we were ready to listen to the truth and accept it. At that point, we found ourselves in the hands of God’s protection forever.
7. Two out of the three prayers of Elisha in this story had to do with eyes being opened. That may not mean anything in the story but it reminds me that we need to be praying that the spiritual blindness of those who are lost that we are seeking to reach will be removed so that they can finally see and understand why they need to place their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
