Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Kings 6:13
And he said, Go and spy where he [is], that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, [he is] in Dothan.
13. go and spy ] R.V. see. The original is the ordinary verb rendered ‘see’ in other places.
that I may send and fetch him ] And thus put an end to the source of information enjoyed by the king of Israel.
Dothan ] Only mentioned in the canonical books of the O.T. here and in the history of Joseph (Gen 37:17). In the book of Judith (2Ki 4:6; 2Ki 7:3 ; 2Ki 7:18; 2Ki 8:3) it occurs in the account of Holofernes’ campaign against Bethulia. It was not far from Shechem. It appears from this narrative that Elisha had a residence there. According to Jerome the place was twelve Roman miles north of Samaria. We can see from this history that the Syrians were able at this time to penetrate very far into the country of Israel.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Dothan – See the marginal reference note. It was at no great distance from Shechem. Its ancient name still attaches to a Tel or hill of a marked character (compare 2Ki 6:17), from the foot of which arises a copious fountain.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 13. Behold, he is in Dothan.] This is supposed to be the same place as that mentioned in Ge 37:17. It lay about twelve miles from Samaria.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
That I may send and fetch him; for though I cannot conceal my designs from him, yet I may possibly take him by force; his power being, I doubt not, much inferior to his knowledge.
Dothan; a city near Shechem, Gen 37:17, and not far from Samaria.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
13. Dothanor, “Dothaim,”a little north of Samaria (see on Ge37:17).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And he said, go, and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him,…. But how could he expect to take him, who could give the king of Israel such intelligence of his designs against him, that he might escape his snares?
and it was told him, saying, behold, he is in Dothan; a city in the tribe of Manasseh, not far from Shechem; see Ge 37:17.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
13 And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. 14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. 15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, a host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? 16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. 18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. 19 And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria. 20 And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. 21 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them? 22 And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master. 23 And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.
Here is, 1. The great force which the king of Syria sent to seize Elisha. He found out where he was, at Dothan (v. 13), which was not far from Samaria; thither he sent a great host, who were to come upon him by night, and to bring him dead or alive, v. 14. Perhaps he had heard that when only one captain and his fifty men were sent to take Elijah they were baffled in the attempt, and therefore he sent an army against Elisha, as if the fire from heaven that consumed fifty men could not as easily consume 50,000. Naaman could tell him that Elisha dwelt not in any strong-hold, nor was attended with any guards, nor had any such great interest in the people that he needed to fear a tumult among them; what occasion then was there for this great force? But thus he hoped to make sure of him, especially coming upon him by surprise. Foolish man! Did he believe that Elisha had informed the king of Israel of his secret counsels or not? If not, what quarrel had he with him? If he did, could he be so weak as to imagine that Elisha would not discover the designs laid against himself, and that, having interest enough in heaven to discover them, he would not have interest enough to defeat them? Those that fight against God, his people, and prophet, know not what they do.
II. The grievous fright which the prophet’s servant was in, when he perceived the city surrounded by the Syrians, and the effectual course which the prophet took to pacify him and free him from his fears. It seems, Elisha accustomed his servant to rise early, that is the way to bring something to pass, and to do the work of a day in its day. Being up, we may suppose he heard the noise of soldiers, and thereupon looked out, and was aware of an army compassing the city (v. 15), with great assurance no doubt of success, and that they should have this troublesome prophet in their hands presently. Now observe, 1. What a consternation he was in. He ran straight to Elisha, to bring him an account of it: “Alas, master!” (said he) “what shall we do? We are undone, it is to no purpose to think either of fighting or flying, but we must unavoidably fall into their hands.” Had he but studied David’s Psalms, which were then extant, he might have learnt not to be afraid of 10,000 of people (Ps. iii. 6), no, not of a host encamped against him, Ps. xxvii. 3. Had he considered that he was embarked with his master, by whom God had done great things, and whom he would not now leave to fall into the hands of the uncircumcised, and who, having saved others, would no doubt save himself, he would not have been thus at a loss. If he had only said, What shall I do? it would have been like that of the disciples: Lord, save us, we perish; but he needed not to include his master as being in distress, nor to say, What shall we do? 2. How his master quieted him, (1.) By word. What he said to him (v. 16) is spoken to all the faithful servants of God, when without are fightings and within are fears: “Fear not with that fear which has torment and amazement, for those that are with us, to protect us, are more than those that are against us, to destroy us–angels unspeakably more numerous–God infinitely more powerful.” When we are magnifying the causes of our fear we ought to possess ourselves with clear, and great, and high thoughts of God and the invisible world. If God be for us, we know what follows, Rom. viii. 31. (2.) By vision, v. 17. [1.] It seems Elisha was much concerned for the satisfaction of his servant. Good men desire, not only to be easy themselves, but to have those about them easy. Elisha had lately parted with his old man, and this, having newly come into his service, had not the advantage of experience; his master was therefore desirous to give him other convincing evidence of that omnipotence which employed him and was therefore employed for him. Note, Those whose faith is strong ought tenderly to consider and compassionate those who are weak and of a timorous spirit, and to do what they can to strengthen their hands. [2.] He saw himself safe, and wished no more than that his servant might see what he saw, a guard of angels round about him; such as were his master’s convoy to the gates of heaven were his protectors against the gates of hell–chariots of fire, and horses of fire. Fire is both dreadful and devouring; that power which was engaged for Elisha’s protection could both terrify and consume the assailants. As angels are God’s messengers, so they are his soldiers, his hosts (Gen. xxxii. 2), his legions, or regiments, (Matt. xxvi. 53), for the good of his people. [3.] For the satisfaction of his servant there needed no more than the opening of his eyes; that therefore he prayed for, and obtained for him: Lord, open his eyes that he may see. The eyes of his body were open, and with them he saw the danger. “Lord, open the eyes of his faith, that with them he may see the protection we are under.” Note, First, The greatest kindness we can do for those that are fearful and faint-hearted is to pray for them, and so to recommend them to the mighty grace of God. Secondly, The opening of our eyes will be the silencing of our fears. In the dark we are most apt to be frightened. The clearer sight we have of the sovereignty and power of heaven the less we shall fear the calamities of this earth.
III. The shameful defeat which Elisha gave to the host of Syrians who came to seize him. They thought to make a prey of him, but he made fools of them, perfectly played with them, so far was he from fearing them or any damage by them. 1. He prayed to God to smite them with blindness, and they were all struck blind immediately, not stone-blind, nor so as to be themselves aware that they were blind, for they could see the light, but their sight was so altered that they could not know the persons and places they were before acquainted with, v. 18. They were so confounded that those among them whom they depended upon for information did not know this place to be Dothan nor this person to be Elisha, but groped at noon day as in the night (Isa 59:10; Job 12:24; Job 12:25); their memory failed them, and their distinguishing faculty. See the power of God over the minds and understanding of men, both ways; he enlightened the eyes of Elisha’s friend, and darkened the eyes of his foes, that they might see indeed, but not perceive, Isa. vi. 9 For this twofold judgment Christ came into this world, that those who see not might see, and that those who see might be made blind (John ix. 39), a savour of life to some, of death to others.
2. When they were thus bewildered and confounded he led them to Samaria (v. 19), promising that he would show them the man whom they sought, and he did so. He did not lie to them when he told them, This is not the way, nor is this the city where Elisha is; for he had now come out of the city; and if they would see him, they must go to another city to which he would direct them. Those that fight against God and his prophets deceive themselves, and are justly given up to delusions. 3. When he had brought them to Samaria he prayed to God so to open their eyes and restore them their memories that they might see where they were (v. 20), and behold, to their great terror, they were in the midst of Samaria, where, it is probable, there was a standing force sufficient to cut them all off, or make them prisoners of war. Satan, the god of this world, blinds men’s eyes, and so deludes them into their own ruin; but, when God enlightens their eyes, they then see themselves in the midst of their enemies, captives to Satan and in danger of hell, though before they thought their condition good. The enemies of God and his church, when they fancy themselves ready to triumph, will find themselves conquered and triumphed over. 4. When he had them at his mercy he made it appear that he was influenced by a divine goodness as well as a divine power. (1.) He took care to protect them from the danger into which he had brought them, and was content to show them what he could have done; he needed not the sword of an angel to avenge his cause, the sword of the king of Israel is at his service if he please (v. 21): My father (so, respectfully does the king now speak to him, though, soon after, he swore his death), shall I smite them? And, again, as if he longed for the assault, Shall I smite them? Perhaps, he remembered how God was displeased at his father for letting go out of his hands those whom he had put it in his power to destroy, and he would not offend in like manner; yet such a reverence has he for the prophet that he will not strike a stroke without his commission. But the prophet would by no means suffer him to meddle with them; they were brought hither to be convinced and shamed, not to be killed, v. 22. Had they been his prisoners, taken captive by his sword and bow, when they asked quarter it would have been barbarous to deny, and, when he had given it to them, it would have been perfidious to do them any hurt, and against the laws of arms to kill men in cool blood. But they were not his prisoners; they were God’s prisoners and the prophet’s, and therefore he must do them no harm. Those that humble themselves under God’s hand take the best course to secure themselves. (2.) He took care to provide for them; he ordered the king to treat them handsomely and then dismiss them fairly, which he did, v. 23. [1.] It was the king’s praise that he was so obsequious to the prophet, contrary to his inclination, and, as it seemed, to his interest, 1 Sam. xxiv. 19. Nay, so willing was he to oblige Elisha that, whereas he was ordered openly to set bread and water before them (which are good fare for captives), he prepared great provision for them, for the credit of his court and country and of Elisha. [2.] It was the prophet’s praise that he was so generous to his enemies, who, though they came to take him, could not but go away admiring him, as both the mightiest and kindest man they ever met with. The great duty of loving enemies, and doing good to those that hate us, was both commanded in the Old Testament (Pro 25:21; Pro 25:22, If thy enemy hunger, feed him,Exo 23:4; Exo 23:5) and practised, as here by Elisha. His predecessor had given a specimen of divine justice when he called for flames of fire on the heads of his persecutors to consume them, but he have a specimen of divine mercy in heaping coals of fire on the heads of his persecutors to melt them. Let not us then be overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
IV. The good effect this had, for the present, upon the Syrians. They came no more into the land of Israel (v. 23), namely, upon this errand, to take Elisha; they saw it was to no purpose to attempt that, nor would any of their bands be persuaded to make an assault on so great and good a man. The most glorious victory over an enemy is to turn him into a friend.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
B. ELISHA CAPTURES A TROOP OF SOLDIERS 6:1323
TRANSLATION
(13) And he said, Go and observe where he is, that I may send, and take him. And someone told him, Behold, in Dothan. (14) And he sent there horses, chariots, and a strong force; and they came by night and surrounded the city. (IS) And the minister of the man of God had risen early to go out, and behold a host surrounding the city with horse and chariot. And his servant said unto him, Alas my master! How shall we do? (16) And he said, Do not fear, for more numerous are those with us than those with them. (17) And Elisha prayed, and said, O LORD open, I pray you, his eyes that he might see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw, and behold the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha. (18) And they went down unto them.[539] And Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite, I pray you, this people with blindness. And He smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. (19) And Elisha said unto them, Not this way, and not this city. Come after me, and I will bring you to the man whom you are seeking. And he took them to Samaria. (20) And it came to pass when they had come to Samaria, that Elisha said, O LORD, open the eyes of these men that they may see. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw, and behold they were in the midst of Samaria. (21) And the king of Israel said unto Elisha when he saw them, Shall I smite them? Shall I smite them, my father? (22) And he said, Do not smite them. Would you be smiting those you had taken captive with your sword and your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, that they may go unto their master. (23) And he prepared great provisions for them, and they ate and drank; then he sent them away, and they went unto their master. And the marauding bands of Arameans did not again come into the land of Israel.
[539] The object of the preposition is singular but seems to refer to the Aramean host and thus in English it seems best to render them.
COMMENTS
Benhadad did not express any doubt as to the validity of the suggestion that Elisha was responsible for revealing his military plans to the king of Israel. The king issued orders that spies be sent into Israel to ascertain the present residence of the prophet. Benhadad planned to spirit away the man of God so as to put an end to Elishas betrayal of his plans to Jehoram. The returning spies reported that Elisha was residing in Dothan, a village on the edge of the plain of Esdraelon about twelve miles north of Samaria[540] (2Ki. 6:13). A strong force was dispatched to Dothan with orders to kidnap the prophet. In order to take Elisha by surprise, the Arameans marched by night and encompassed the city (2Ki. 6:14).
[540] The ease with which this expedition penetrated Israelite territory indicates that this was a time when the northern frontiers could not be effectively defended.
Perhaps the new servant of Elisha had heard the commotion outside the city walls during the night. Arising early in the morning, he discovered the city surrounded by a force which included infantry, cavalry, and even a chariot force. Faced with the prospect of capture and consequent slavery, the young servant rushed to his master to report his alarming discovery. How shall we do? he cried, i.e., is there any way we can save ourselves? (2Ki. 6:15).
Elisha was quite calm in the face of this serious threat. He did not need to survey the situation and plan strategy. He knew that God was with him, and it mattered not how many might be arrayed against him without the walls of Dothan (2Ki. 6:16). But Elishas servant needed reassurance. Mere verbal assurance that God was nigh would not suffice for this frightened man. He needed some sort of material manifestation of the help that was readily available to the prophet. So Elisha prayed that his servant might be permitted to see that great angelic host that hovers just beyond the realm of sight and sound. The prophets prayer was answered. The eyes of the servant were opened, and he beheld round about the hill of Dothan a heavenly force chariots and horses of fire, i.e., glowing with an unearthly brightness (2Ki. 6:17).
Rather than waiting for the Arameans to come up the slopes of Dothan to arrest him, Elisha and his servant went down to the attacking host. As they approached the enemy, Elisha prayed that God would smite the Arameans with blindness, i.e., a state of confusion and bewilderment in which they would willingly follow the directions of the prophet. God answered that prayer (2Ki. 6:18), and as a result, the enemy soldiers were so confused that they allowed Elisha to convince them that they had come the wrong way and had attacked the wrong city. If they would but follow him, the prophet suggested, he would lead them to the man they were seeking. Under this miraculous delusion, the soldiers allowed Elisha to lead them to Samaria, and into the walls of that city (2Ki. 6:19). The behavior of these soldiers is absolutely inexplicable apart from direct working of God in their mental processes.
Once the prophet had his prisoners within the walls of Samaria, he prayed that God would open their eyes, i.e., remove the bewilderment which had seized them at Dothan. When their senses returned, how shocked these soldiers must have been to discover that they were within the walls of Samaria and surrounded, no doubt, by a great throng of Israelite soldiers (2Ki. 6:20). King Jehoram, though in the past not on the most cordial terms with Elisha (cf. 2Ki. 3:11-14), addressed the prophet by the honorable title father which implied respect, deference, and submission. The king was most eager to slay these helpless invaders, but felt compelled to seek the permission of the one who had delivered them into his hand (2Ki. 6:21).
Elisha declined permission to slay these men. Whereas it may have been the custom to slay prisoners of war, these men in reality were not prisoners of war in the usual sense. If they should be slain, then the whole purpose of the miracle which had just taken place would be frustrated. The ultimate purpose of smiting these men with mental delusion and leading them to Samaria was to teach these foreigners and the king who sent them to fear the God of Israel, and to respect His people and His prophet in particular. Therefore, instead of slaying these men, the king instructed his servants to treat them hospitably and send them back to their master (2Ki. 6:23). Jehoram followed the directions of the prophet and entertained the Arameans at a great banquet after which they were given leave to return to Benhadad. As a result of this episode, the Aramean raiders, who had heretofore harassed the Israelite countryside, suspended their activities for a time, and Israel had a respite.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(13) Fetch.Take.
Dothan.A contracted dual (equivalent to Dothain LXX., Dothaim). It lay on a hill, twelve Roman miles north-east of Samaria, in a narrow pass (Jdt. 4:5; Jdt. 7:3; Jdt. 8:3), on the caravan route from Gilead to Egypt (Gen. 37:17). The old name survives in a Tell, covered with ruins, south-west of the modern Jenn.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
13. Go and spy where he is How blind, to imagine that he who could tell his secret counsels could not also frustrate the movements of his spies.
Dothan A beautiful spot on an eminence still bearing the name Tell Dothan, about twelve miles north of Samaria; the same place to which Joseph went in search of his brethren. Gen 37:17.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
2Ki 6:13 And he said, Go and spy where he [is], that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, [he is] in Dothan.
Ver. 13. That I may send and fetch him. ] This, none but a madman would have attempted. Anger is a short madness: whensoever it anteverteth reason, it is sinful.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
spy where: 1Sa 23:22, 1Sa 23:23, Psa 10:8-10, Psa 37:12-14, Psa 37:32, Psa 37:33, Jer 36:26, Mat 2:4-8, Joh 11:47-53, Act 23:12-27
Dothan: This is supposed to be the same place where Joseph was sold by his brethren; and it is placed by Eusebius 12 miles north of Samaria. Gen 37:17
Reciprocal: 2Ki 1:9 – sent unto
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
OUR DOTHANS
He is in Dothan.
2Ki 6:13
Elisha was in Dothan at the time of war between Syria and Israel. The Syrians had information of Elishas presence, and it seemed a golden opportunity for securing an enemy who was so extremely dangerous to them, for Elisha, as supernaturally informed by his Master of the movements of His peoples enemies, was worth a whole army to the king of Israel. Dothan was so situated that it seemed an easy thing for the Syrians to trap Elisha there. It was a sort of conical mount, on the top of which stood a little fortified town; and granted a sufficient army, in these days before artillery, there was no way in which the people of Dothan might escape. So in the silence of the night the Syrians surrounded Dothan, Elisha apparently asleep in peace, and his young man asleep too; but when he had risen early and gone forth, behold there was a whole camp round the city. The terrible Syrians were there, and the little hill and the town upon it rose up in the midst of the besiegers all around it. It was absolutely cut off. Circumstances, in the form of the Syrians, were most adverse, and the servant, seeing there was no apparent chance of escape, exclaimed, Alas! master, what shall we do? Then it was that Elisha answered in those remarkable terms which seemed such an absolute contradiction of facts, They that be with us are more than all that are against us.
I. Dothan was apparently an exceedingly small place, certainly not a population of warriors.They were the ordinary people of a little town, and yet Elisha says, apparently referring to the human beings around him, They that are with us are more than that great host in thy sight that are against us; and then he prayed that the young mans eyes might be opened, and God would give him second sight. All the while the prophet had been seeing the unseen but real circumstances, and now he prays his young servant-man may see them too; and the young mans eyes are opened, and what does he see? Behold the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. He had mistaken the nearness of things. He thought the nearest thing (and so to human eyes it appeared) was the awful hostile forces, the merciless Syrian camp, the terrible environment. He had forgotten that there was space and room between them and the town for something else, and at the slopes of the little hill there was another camp, the camp of the embattled spirits of God, the angels that excel in strength, that do His commandments and hearken to the voice of His word; and for them the command was, Keep absolutely safe My servant and his servant too.
We need not follow the story into its sequel; it is a remarkable one. What is the Lords message to us, for discouragements and fears, for the terrors about circumstances that may arise daily, in this message of Dothanthe seen enemies and the unseen friends, the seen siege and the absolutely unseen but infinitely stronger and victoriously prevailing defence? There is not a shadow of a doubt the Spirit of God dictated the insertion of this particular incident, that we might take its message home for the soul and its need, for the heart and its besiegers.
II. First, then, we have the siege.There is always a threefold unholy alliance combined against us, and its forces are always in the fieldthe world, the flesh, and the devil. The worldin circumstances that seem adverse to God; the fleshall that belongs to the life of self; and the devilthe great unseen general and manager and director of the forces of evil; an awfully real personality, and the head of a whole world of personal wills that are against our souls, that mean them unmitigated harm, that intend their ruin, and that have an awful experience of long ages of action against us to show them what to do.
How much circumstances mean to every human being that has life to live! Think of some one converted to God in the slums of a city, where all the public opinion is utterly against everything we mean by God and good. Take a less extreme case, the heart that has just been awakened to the depth of its need, and to the unspeakable necessity of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is, we will suppose, the heart of a son or daughter of a well-ordered home, in which, nevertheless, it would be idle to expect positive spiritual help. Many a heart that thinks itself unfavourably placed owes a great deal of its unfavourableness to its own fault. Dont let us think, when we have misrepresented religion by our own spirit and conduct, that therefore all these things are against us. They may be only against our own wrongfulness of spirit, and temper, and our exquisite unwisdom of action. Still there comes in a service where all looks easy, and yet there may be difficulties for the heart that wants simply and fully to follow the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now we leave all these to be interpreted by each one, according to what we know of ourselves and those dear to us, as the counterpart of the Syrians of Dothan. We are not thinking so much of persons as of conditions. It is not this or that person, it is the indefinable tone of society that may have to be met, and you are infinitely conscious of what seems to you great weakness of character to resist, great weakness of will and purpose of standing out under these conditions. You have been trying and have failed. Alas! my master, how shall we do? I know not which most to deploremy weakness in this miserable Dothan, or the might and power of the forces against my soul, the circumstances around me, the treacherous self within me, and the knowledge that behind it all are the unseen foes. Is it not a hopeless thing? Shall we not walk out of Dothan and surrender to the Syrians at discretion, and thus have done with a hopeless war? Dear friends, there are souls that have done so, they have discovered their awful weakness without discovering a greater power, and have surrendered at discretion to the Syrians.
III. But now the blessed Word of God comes to give us the second sight.Faith in the Word of God is the second sight of the Gospel. We walk by faith, not by sight; and faith, taking God at His word, is as a second sight to the soul. And what the Word now says to faith is this: Fear not, discouraged heartdefeated will, disappointed life, tired out with disappointment in your own strengthfear not; that which is with you is immeasurably greater than that which is with them. You remember, St. Paul was once in DothanI dont mean geographically but spirituallywhen the thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan, brought him to the very verge of despair as to how he was to hold out. As the young man went to Elisha, so St. Paul went to his Lord, with very much the same feeling. Alas, Master and Lord, what shall I do? There is nothing for it but flight. I beseech Thee, I beseech Thee, I beseech Thee (you remember it was three times), let this depart from me! and then the Lord Jesus opened his eyes that he might see; and he saw something better than horses and chariots of fire, which were but the figures or symbols of the presence. He just told him, My grace is enough for thee. That was illumination, that was second sight, that was the hill full of the hosts of God, and the man in that Dothan, whose walls were helpless to keep out the dead weight of the forces which seemed ready to come up against them, was able to keep his place there, gladly, confidently. He no longer wanted to fly. Why should he either fly or yield? His grace is enough! There are circumstances in the shape of the thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan too strong for me, but here is an inner circle within the circumstances around me. This is not a picture, this is not mere imageryyou know, in Jesus Christ, it is fact. Our failures are all our own, our victory is altogether in our Lord.
Bishop H. C. G. Moule.
Illustrations
(1) In Elishas case the unseen agencies belonged to what we commonly call Providence. That is, they were concerned about the safety of one of Gods servants; they protected Elisha from danger; they made him secure amidst a thousand enemies; they made him calm for suffering and brave for action, as knowing himself immortal till his work was done. Was it only of Elisha that these things were written? Was it only for Elisha that these things were done? Surely we have here the very same revelation of the care of God for His people, which is expressed also, in general, in the thirty-fourth Psalm, The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them. Oh, if our eyes were opened, like those of this young man, what a scene would be discovered in this one aspect!
(2) If God be on our side, fighting for us, we need not fear what man can do. No one can stand against God; no hosts of evil can do aught if God is fighting our battles for us. Some one once expressed to President Lincoln the hope that the Lord was on the side of the country. The good man replied that that gave him no anxiety whateverhis only care was to know that he and the people were on Gods side. We need to make sure of this; then all will be well. The way to have God with us is to keep near to Him.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
2Ki 6:13. Spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him Foolish man! Did he believe that Elisha had informed the king of Israel of his secret counsels, or not? If he did not, what quarrel had he with him? If he did, could he be so weak as to imagine that the prophet would not discover the designs laid against him? and that, having interest enough in heaven to discover them, he would not have interest enough to defeat them? Those that fight against God, his people, and prophets, know not what they do. It was told him, Behold, he is in Dothan A city in the tribe of Manasseh, not far from Shechem and Samaria: hither therefore the king of Syria sent a great host, who were to come upon him by night, and bring him alive or dead.