spiritual battle, The Sound of Chariots (2 Kings 6-7)

Under constant attack from the Aramean armies, Samaria was experiencing a famine so severe that people were eating the meat off of of unclean animal heads, as well as their own children...

(2 Kings 6:24-31)  Now it came about after this, that Ben-hadad king of Aram gathered all his army and went up and besieged Samaria. 25 There was a great famine in Samaria; and behold, they besieged it, until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a fourth of a kab of dove’s dung for five shekels of silver. 26 As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall a woman cried out to him, saying, “Help, my lord, O king!” 27 He said, “If the Lord does not help you, from where shall I help you? From the threshing floor, or from the wine press?” 28 And the king said to her, “What is the matter with you?” And she answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ 29 So we boiled my son and ate him; and I said to her on the next day, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him’; but she has hidden her son.” 30 When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes—now he was passing by on the wall—and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth beneath on his body. 31 Then he said, “May God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today.”

Classic!  The situation and the famine were caused by the war, but the  king and the people were getting angry at God and their spiritual leader/s...

(2 Kings 6:32-33)  Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. And the king sent a man from his presence; but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, “Do you see how this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold the door shut against him. Is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?” 33 While he was still talking with them, behold, the messenger came down to him and he said, “Behold, this evil is from the Lord; why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”

Elisha prophesied that food would suddenly be plentiful and cheap...

(2 Kings 7:1-2)  Then Elisha said, “Listen to the word of the Lord; thus says the Lord, ‘Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour will be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.’” 2 The royal officer on whose hand the king was leaning answered the man of God and said, “Behold, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” Then he said, “Behold, you will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat of it.”

God worked in a very unusual way for this food to be provided.  He allowed the enemies to hear the sound of many chariots and horses.  From the last few scripture portions that we have been reading, knowing that God has a heavenly army and that some of the angels drive chariots - we can safely assume that the sounds came from the heavenly army...

(2 Kings 7:3-20)  Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why do we sit here until we die? 4 If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ then the famine is in the city and we will die there; and if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us go over to the camp of the Arameans. If they spare us, we will live; and if they kill us, we will but die.” 5 They arose at twilight to go to the camp of the Arameans; when they came to the outskirts of the camp of the Arameans, behold, there was no one there. 6 For the Lord had caused the army of the Arameans to hear a sound of chariots and a sound of horses, even the sound of a great army, so that they said to one another, “Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.” 7 Therefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents and their horses and their donkeys, even the camp just as it was, and fled for their life. 8 When these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they entered one tent and ate and drank, and carried from there silver and gold and clothes, and went and hid them; and they returned and entered another tent and carried from there also, and went and hid them.

9 Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, but we are keeping silent; if we wait until morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come, let us go and tell the king’s household.” 10 So they came and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and they told them, saying, “We came to the camp of the Arameans, and behold, there was no one there, nor the voice of man, only the horses tied and the donkeys tied, and the tents just as they were.” 11 The gatekeepers called and told it within the king’s household. 12 Then the king arose in the night and said to his servants, “I will now tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know that we are hungry; therefore they have gone from the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, ‘When they come out of the city, we will capture them alive and get into the city.’” 13 One of his servants said, “Please, let some men take five of the horses which remain, which are left in the city. Behold, they will be in any case like all the multitude of Israel who are left in it; behold, they will be in any case like all the multitude of Israel who have already perished, so let us send and see.” 14 They took therefore two chariots with horses, and the king sent after the army of the Arameans, saying, “Go and see.”

15 They went after them to the Jordan, and behold, all the way was full of clothes and equipment which the Arameans had thrown away in their haste. Then the messengers returned and told the king.

16 So the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. Then a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord. 17 Now the king appointed the royal officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate; but the people trampled on him at the gate, and he died just as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him. 18 It happened just as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, “Two measures of barley for a shekel and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, will be sold tomorrow about this time at the gate of Samaria.” 19 Then the royal officer answered the man of God and said, “Now behold, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, could such a thing be?” And he said, “Behold, you will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat of it.” 20 And so it happened to him, for the people trampled on him at the gate and he died.

From this we see:
- God can allow people to just hear the spiritual realm

Personal experience:  while attending Temple University, I lived right across the street in the dormitories of a satellite college campus.  Needless to say, north Philadelphia, especially back then, was a very dangerous place.  In fact, the campus director would bring in a police officer at the beginning of every semester to give us pointers on how to be street smart and stay safe.

In the five semesters that I attended, I had personally walked past two murder scenes, and a colleague had been mugged in broad daylight on a main road... you get the idea.  So I tried to follow all the recommendations of the police officer and even figured out a few of my own.  The main one being - prayer without ceasing!!!

One of the recommendations was to never use the Susquehanna subway stop - even though it was the closest to us.  But even getting off at the "safer" subway stop - as a friend and I were coming up the stairs - we suddenly found ourselves surrounded by a gang of about 15 young men.

Instantly I was praying.  And oddly enough I had no fear.  I felt "covered".  And the cool, calm words that came out of my mouth, "Hey.  How's it going?" didn't really seem to come from me, but sounded very natural and respectful.

Some of the men quietly said, "Hey."  But that was it.  Not one lustful leer.  Not one derogatory word.  They just seemed to scatter into the dark within seconds.  So weird.  I can only wonder what they actually heard or saw or felt.

Today's takeaway:  God DOES work in mysterious ways.  Sometimes we will never know how or why something worked out the way it did.  In fact, there might be times we were in danger and will never know about it.

The heavenly Father protects His children and hears their prayers.  Sin can impede our prayers, so it is important to confess and turn away from our sins, and keep striving to do God's will.  And why would we not want to do that?  A sinful lifestyle leads to strife and emptiness.  There are benefits to having a close walk with God...

(John 9:31)  We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him

(1 John 1:9)  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

(Hebrews 13:6)  so that we confidently say,

“The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”

(John 16:33)  These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

(Psalm 138:1-8)  I will give You thanks with all my heart; I will sing praises to You before the gods.
2 I will bow down toward Your holy temple and give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; for You have magnified Your word according to all Your name.
3 On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul.

4 All the kings of the earth will give thanks to You, O Lord, when they have heard the words of Your mouth.
5 And they will sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 For though the Lord is exalted, yet He regards the lowly, but the haughty He knows from afar.

7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand will save me.
8 The Lord will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting; do not forsake the works of Your hands.