Battle Ready: Elisha & the invisible army
This world is full of stories of archenemies and epic battles, some fictional like Superman vs. Lex Luthor and Batman vs. Joker, and others factual, like Hitler vs. the Jews and the Battle of Gettysburg. The Bible warns us that each of us, whether we realize it or not, is also part of a battle- not a physical one, but instead, a spiritual war.
Ephesians 6:12 | For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
These powers of darkness are ruled by Satan (Ephesians 2:2), our great enemy (1st Peter 5:8) who wars against the purposes of Christ (2nd Corinthians 4:4; Acts 26:18). While Satan and Christ have been battling since Satan’s fall from Heaven (Luke 10:18; Isaiah 14:12-13; Ezekiel 28:12-18) and will continue until Satan is thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10), Ephesians 6:12 explains that we are part of the fight!
Before we can understand our role in the battle, we have to first understand that the battle exists and that it isn’t one-sided. The beauty of being a follower of Christ in this battle is that you’re fighting alongside the Lord’s armies!
In 2nd Kings 6, we see the story of two guys who were faced with a very real physical battle. The King of Aram is upset that someone is revealing secrets about his plans to invade (2nd Kings 6:8-13). When he’s told that this is the prophet Elisha, the king sends troops to capture him.
2nd Kings 6:14 | So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city.
Elisha’s servant is with him and when he realizes they are surrounded, he feels overwhelmed, hopeless, and afraid.
2nd Kings 6:15 | When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha.
Elisha is standing firm without fear! While Elisha knows there is a physical army surrounding him, he is also aware that there is a spiritual one. He prays for God to give his servant eyes to see the invisible battle-
2nd Kings 6:16-17 | “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.
In this way, the servant realizes the power of God that is at work around him. Sure enough, Elisha and his servant aren’t captured, nor do they fight. They simply stand firm and surrender the battle to the Lord through prayer. God blinds the troops and delivers the two men (2nd Kings 6:18-23).
Elisha was aware of and prepared for the spiritual battle and because of it, he was able to stand firm when others were rendered powerless by fear. Like the servant, if we don’t understand the reality of the spiritual battle taking place around us and even for us, we can find ourselves confused, ill-equipped, and full of fear.
Ephesians 6:12 informs us of the battle and then the verse after tells us to live “battle ready” so that we too, like Elisha, are able to “stand firm.”
Ephesians 6:13 | Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.
We learn from Ephesians 6 and the battle fought by the invisible army in 2nd Kings that we are surrounded by a spiritual war, so we must live battle ready. This summer, we’ll dig into understanding this battle and the weapons of our warfare so that we too can stand firm, ready for the battle.
How were the responses of Elisha and his servant different? Why wasn’t Elisha afraid?
What is the difference between a physical battle and a spiritual battle?
What spiritual battle is taking place around us?
Before today, were you aware of this spiritual battle?
What does it mean to be “battle ready?”
Do you feel “battle ready” like Elisha or do you feel more like the servant in 2nd Kings? Why?
What do you hope to learn about spiritual warfare and living battle ready?