Redeeming a Nation (Timeless Teaching)

by Philip Quenby

  As night fell, the British found themselves back almost where they had started. Their attack had failed, their commander and many comrades were dead, the enemy was still firmly entrenched and conventional wisdom said that the Argentine position could not be taken with the forces at their disposal. At that point, the battalion’s second-in-command Major Chris Keble says that he prayed, and as he did so it suddenly became clear to him what he should do. The next morning, under cover of a white flag, he walked up the hill to the Argentine trenches and asked them to surrender. Incredibly, they did – and the way to Port Stanley was clear.

  Odds against.

  It does not take too much human sympathy to imagine what might have been going through the mind of Major Keble on the night before the Argentine surrender. There would have been grief at the loss of friends and colleagues, fear of what the next day held, a longing for guidance and direction, the heavy burden of responsibility, doubt as to his ability to follow in the footsteps of an inspirational leader, loneliness, sorrow and perhaps despair. From every rational point of view, the odds were heavily stacked against him and his men.

  From time to time we are all prey to emotions of this kind. Our nation faces difficult times and we do not know what tomorrow will bring. We want someone to reassure us and show us the way. We want to know that we are still cared for and supported. We want to know that we are in safe hands. We tremble at the forces that are ranged in opposition to us, in the face of which our own resources seem so inadequate.

  The second book of Kings describes a time when “the king of Aram was at war with Israel” (2 Kings 6:8). The preponderance of force was on the side of the Arameans. When their king learnt that the prophet Elisha was in Dothan, he “sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city.” (2 Kings 6:14). Since Dothan was far inside Israelite territory[129] and the Arameans were apparently able to deploy without interference from Israelite troops, their military superiority must have been considerable. The odds seemed to be stacked against Israel just as they appeared to be stacked against the British at Goose Green.

  Eyes wide shut.

  This, however, was only part of the story. From the start God, through Elisha, had repeatedly “warned the king [of Israel about Aramean troop movements], so that he was on his guard in such places [where the Arameans had set up camp].” (2 Kings 6:10). The Lord was active and present even though the results of his intervention were not seen for what they were. When the Aramean king’s plans were repeatedly forestalled, he assumed that a spy must be at work: “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?’” (2 Kings 6:11).

  Exactly the same thing happens all around us, every day of the week. God is at work in this land no less than in days gone by, but people do not recognise him for who he is, nor do they ascribe to him the results of his activity. We need to have our eyes opened and to gain spiritual insight, for without this we will never be able to see beyond human agency to what is really going on. Insight involves the power of observation or discernment of the real character of things. It means the ability to penetrate appearances and see depths that may be hidden to others. It is an inevitable result of shining the light of God’s truth into dark corners.

  The story shows that neither spiritual blindness nor spiritual insight is the monopoly of one nation. Amongst the Arameans was a man who realised the truth: “’None of us [is a spy], 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.’” (2 Kings 6:12). Correspondingly, an Israelite lacked discernment: “When the servant of the man of God [that is, Elisha] 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.” (2 Kings 6:15). Just as we are apt to do, Elisha’s servant saw clearly enough when it came to identifying the difficulties and obstacles of life, but was unable to look beyond them. Elisha’s servant focussed on the problem, not on God’s provision. He saw only a mighty host of Aramean soldiers. His master Elisha had a different perspective. “‘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 6:16-17).

  Shortly after the eyes of the servant were opened, those of Israel’s enemies were closed: “As the enemy came down towards him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, ‘Strike these people with blindness.’ So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked.” (2 Kings 6:18). In order to come to a realisation of the truth, these enemies first had to be blinded to their immediate, sinful objective. With this done, Elijah was able to lead them from the path of wrongdoing into the path of righteousness: “Elisha told them, ‘This is not the road and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you are looking for.’ And he led them to Samaria.” (2 Kings 6:19).

  Once the Arameans had been led away from the wrong path and objective, they were then in a position to have their eyes opened, too: “After they had entered the city, Elisha said, ‘LORD, open the eyes of these men so that they can see.’ Then the LORD opened their eyes and they looked, and there they were, inside Samaria.” (2 Kings 6:20). In just the same way, we must become blind to sin. Only when our eyes are taken off what is wrong and our focus is shifted from problem to provision will we be able to look about us and see the reality that lies behind appearance. We may feel that we are outnumbered, surrounded and abandoned to our fate, but it is not so.

  Counterpunch.

  As well as gaining insight to see things as they really are, we need to know how to react to the circumstances that confront us. A range of lessons and responses appears from Elisha’s encounter with the Arameans. These form the basis for our counterattack:

  • Godly intervention is no excuse for human inactivity or carelessness. Elisha warned the king of Israel what the Arameans were up to, but the king still “checked on the place indicated by the man of God ... [and] was on his guard in such places.” (2 Kings 6:10). As Elisha advised, we need to “Beware” (2 Kings 6:9) when the forces of darkness are on the march.

  • Sometimes we need to stand our ground in the face of danger. Elisha was able to tell “the very words you [the king of Aram] speak in your bedroom” (2 Kings 6:12) and thus presumably knew that troops would be sent to surround Dothan. Yet instead of running away, he stayed put in order to bring God’s plans to fruition.

  • The advice of godly people should be sought, weighed and when appropriate acted upon. The king of Israel asked Elisha: “Shall I kill them [the Arameans], my father? Shall I kill them?” (2 Kings 6:21). He did as Elisha says: “’ Do not kill them,’ [Elisha] answered, ‘Would you kill men you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink and then go back to their master.’” (2 Kings 6:22).

  • We are called to be merciful even to the ungodly. In the same way that Elisha told the king of Israel to “set food and water before [the Arameans] so that they may eat and drink” (2 Kings 6:22), we are told that “when your enemy hungers, give him food and when he thirsts, give him drink” (Proverbs 25:21). By our treatment of our opponents, we will win many for Christ.

  • Our prayers should focus on God’s provision for us rather than on the problems we face: “‘Don’t be afraid,’ the prophet answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’” (2 Kings 6:16). We should seek insight for others as well as for ourselves and actively call for God’s intervention in the world: “O LORD, open his eyes so that he may see.” (2 Kings 6:17).

  • We should always be ready to show people the way, to tell them that “This is not the road and this is not the city. Follow me and I wil
l lead you to the man you are looking for.” (2 Kings 6:19). The person to whom we should lead them, of course, is “our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep” (Hebrews 13:20).

  Our nation is hardly awash with godliness and insight is in short supply. This does not mean that God has given up on us. On the contrary, he has great things in store for us and for our nation: “’For I alone know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.’” (Jeremiah 29:11-12). His army of angels awaits only the right response from us to enter the fray on our side. The king of Aram sought to take over Israelite territory but God frustrated his designs so that in the end “the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel’s territory.” (2 Kings 6:23). If we will only do as the Lord asks, he will deliver us in the same way.

  Conclusion.

  We face a time of uncertainty, a time when our nation seems to be on a downward spiral, when large numbers suffer grievously and many feel like saying: “Oh, my lord, what shall we do?” (2 Kings 6:15). Yet we can take comfort, find assurance and obtain guidance from what happened in the days of Elisha.

  We need to take up the mantle of our forebears. Just as Major Keble had to take over command from Colonel Jones on the latter’s death, we must step into the breach of those who fought and died in years gone by to make this a Christian land. We have before us their example, as well as that of the great men of God whose stories are told in the Bible. Elisha was spiritual heir to Elijah and quite literally inherited his mantle: see 2 Kings 2:13. The “hills full of horses and chariots of fire” (2 Kings 6:17) that surrounded Dothan are part of the same army that accompanied Elijah, in whose presence “suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared” (2 Kings 2:11). This godly army has not disappeared. Nor has it been defeated. It is still all around us.

  With this in mind, we should remind ourselves whom it is that we worship and serve. He is the Creator of the universe, a God who is not distant but who is engaged with his world and with each one of us. We have seen him at work in our nation, in our church and in our own lives. We know him to be faithful, not just because the Bible tells us but because he has shown us himself that this is his nature. He will not abandon or fail us and we know that “nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37). His message to us remains as it has always been: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified ... for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6).

  This does not mean that we will be free from hardship, neither that we will never be subject to attack, nor that doubt and fear will be absent from our hearts. We will be tested and we must expect every one of these things. God never promised that the Christian life would be easy, but he has repeatedly promised that: “I will never leave you or forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5).[130] Whatever assaults we may face, however mighty and unremitting the forces ranged against us may appear to be, we should never lose sight of the fact that “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (2 Kings 6:16) and that for all their seeming power our enemies can be “struck with blindness” (2 Kings 6:18). God has done this time and again. In just this way, the Argentine forces at Goose Green were blinded to the strength of their position and to the difficulties faced by their opponents.

  For our part, we must open our eyes so that we may truly see. Insight is an essential weapon in our fight: insight to see God at work, insight into things that otherwise are hidden from men, insight into the enemy’s plans and how to confound them, insight into the real strength of our position and our opponents’ weakness, insight into the power of prayer and how to use it wisely, insight into when to ask for advice and when to follow it, insight into how to treat our enemies. St Paul acknowledged the power of godly insight when he said: “Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.” (2 Timothy 2:7).

  With Elisha, we need to pray: “O LORD, open [our] eyes so that [we] may see.” (2 Kings 6:17).

  60. Standing firm

  1 Kings 19:1-18

  Key word: perseverance.

  Being in a minority of one is usually a very uncomfortable place to be. Margaret Thatcher famously relished taking on other heads of state during European summits and opponents of all stripes at home. This uncompromising approach led to her becoming known as Tina, an acronym derived from her oft-repeated mantra: “There is no alternative.” In practice, few have such a taste for conflict and confrontation. Most prefer the comfort of being one of a crowd, basking in the warmth and approval of others. We have all sorts of phrases for it: we talk of not sticking our heads above the parapet, of not rocking the boat, of being a team player. The awkward reality, though, is that there are times when the majority are wrong and the minority are right. When that time comes, we need to line up on the side of truth, however difficult this may be. As American anti-slavery lawyer Wendell Phillips (1811-84) put it: “One on God’s side is a majority.”

  Elijah was a man who took God’s side. His ministry shows what the Lord can do through the life of someone who is prepared to stand up for what is right, even when that means standing alone. The prophet was an outspoken declarer of God’s righteousness, yet he was also all too human, with weaknesses and insecurities like anyone else. He was not above feeling sorry for himself and was on occasion guilty of wallowing in his predicament. Perhaps most surprising of all for such a great man of God, he could sometimes completely fail to understand what the Lord was saying and how he was working. The events in 1 Kings 19 have much to teach us through Elijah’s experience, both where he got it right and where he got it wrong.

  A great prophet.

  Elijah’s name means the Lord (Yahweh, Jehovah) is God, which neatly sums up the message and focus of his ministry: to proclaim the lordship and sovereignty of the one true God, to condemn and destroy the worship of idols. Of all the prophets who came after Moses, Jews consider Elijah the greatest. The claim to greatness rests on his fearless proclamation of God’s word; the events of his life; the fact that he was taken up into heaven rather than dying a normal death (2 Kings 2:3-12); and the prediction of his return before “the day of the LORD” (Malachi 4:5). Indeed, to this day Jews keep a place for Elijah at every Passover meal. They believe that he will return and that when he does he will resolve every point on which rabbis have been unable to agree down the years and that he will also usher in the coming of the Messiah.

  Now, Christians will take issue with that last point, but the evidence of Elijah’s ministry is powerful. He certainly did not fight shy of confrontation, either with the civil power, the religious authorities or even with the Almighty himself: in 1 Kings 17 Elijah stood alone to confront King Ahab, a notoriously dangerous and unpredictable man, by predicting three years of drought; in 1 Kings 18 Elijah again stood alone, this time by confronting four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel; and in 1 Kings 19 Elijah stood alone once more to confront God on Mount Horeb. The prophet was hardly a shrinking violet. So great was his legacy that Jesus deliberately paralleled some of the events of Elijah’s life (fasting in the desert for forty days and nights,[131] exercising command over nature,[132] providing food where there was none,[133] raising a widow’s son[134]), showing himself greater than Elijah, both a fulfilment and a greater fullness of what had gone before.

  Reaching breaking point.

  Yet despite this greatness Elijah reached breaking point. Terrified when he learnt that Queen Jezebel wanted him dead, he “ran for his life.” (1 Kings 19:3). He fled all the way to Beersheba, in the very south of Israelite territory, more than a hundred miles from Ahab’s kingdom. There he left his servant and “went a day’s journey into the desert.” (1 Kings 19:4).

  Elijah was at the end of his tether. He was so despondent and downhearted that he “prayed that he might die.” (1 Kings 19:4). He said words that most have felt like saying at one
time or another: “I have had enough, LORD.” (1 Kings 19:4). I am sick to death of it. I cannot take any more. I cannot stand it. There can be few human beings who have never felt the same. It should give us tremendous encouragement that one of the greatest men of God there has ever been experienced such despair. As James tells us, Elijah “was a man just like us” (James 5:17-18).

  God answered Elijah’s prayer by giving him the exact opposite of what he had asked for. Again, the experience is a common one. Elijah prayed: “Take my life” (1 Kings 19:4) and God responded by twice providing food to keep him alive (1 Kings 19:6 and 1 Kings 19:7). The point, of course, is that the Lord lovingly gives us what we need, not what we want.

  Listening to God.

  This ushered in a period of listening to God: “Strengthened by [the food the Almighty had provided, Elijah] travelled for forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night.” (1 Kings 19:8-9). In the cave God spoke to Elijah. He asked a question: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9). Elijah’s answer totally missed the point. What God put his finger on was that the prophet had come to this place by following his own devices, not because God had told him to. Just like Jonah, he had run about as far as he could get from where God wanted him to be, and all he could focus on was what was important to him. His reply was full of self-pity and exaggerated his condition: “I am the only one left and now they are trying to kill me” (1 Kings 19:10). The first part of this statement was simply not true. There were many other men of God active at this time, as the succeeding events recounted in 1 Kings make clear. Yet humanity in all its weakness, childishness and petulance was here displayed in one of the mightiest prophets of them all. So often, we feel like we are the only ones who are doing something or going through a particular experience. In our heart of hearts we often know that it is not true, but that does not stop us from bleating.