The Biblical Age of Kings #9: O Lord, Open Their Eyes!

2 Kings 6:8-23 tells the great story of blindness and sight. It's a story of how blind we can be to the fiery host of heaven that surrounds us in our hour of need, of how we need the Lord to open our eyes to see his power and might. It's also a story of how God is able to blind the eyes of the enemy, leading them right into the hands of God’s people.

There are two layers of blindness and sight in this tale. First, there is Elisha's servant. He is terrified when the Syrian army comes and surrounds Elisha’s village. They've come for Elisha, and there appears to be no hope of escape. This unnamed servant can only see the enemy, and it’s a terrifying sight!

But he is blind to a bigger reality. The host of heaven is there to protect them, ready to strike down this conquering force. The hills are full of horses and chariots of fire. Elisha prays, "O Lord, open his eyes that he may see." When he sees, his sense of reality is completely transformed.

Second, there are Syrian soldiers. They've come to capture Elisha. The Syrian king feels threatened by the fact that God reveals his plans to Elisha before the king even utters them. So he has sent a great army to Elisha's village to seize him. They circle his village and are ready to move in.

At this point, Elisha prays to the Lord again, "O Lord, strike this people with blindness." Their eyes are suddenly closed. Then Elisha comes out to meet them and says (with what sounds like a Jedi mind trick), "This is not the village and this is not the way. Follow me. I'll take you there."

He leads the Syrian army into the middle of Samaria, the capital city of Israel. The Syrians and Israelites have been fighting minor skirmishes back and forth for years, so this is quite a coup for Israel that Elisha deposits the Syrians right into the laps of their enemies! Then Elisha prays once more, "O Lord, open their eyes that they may see." Immediately they can see, and they are horrified to discover where they are.

Ruins of the ancient city of Samaria

The Israelite king is thrilled with this good fortune, so he says to Elisha, "Shall I kill them?" Elisha tells him he has no right to choose their fate. Instead, he orders the king to pile up supplies for them and treat them to a great feast. So the Israelite king prepares a feast for his enemies and releases them to go back to Syria. The story ends with this note, "And the Syrians no longer came raiding into the land of Israel."

The Lord is able to reveal realities greater than what our eyes can see. The Lord is also able to shut the eyes of our enemies and instead deliver them into our hands. Do you believe the Lord? Do you believe in the Lord’s power to give and remove sight? Do you trust in God's power to make conflicts cease and to vanquish your enemies? Pray to God for help with seeing and believing!