Horses and Chariots of Fire

Horses and Chariots of Fire

And Elisha prayed, and said,“ Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

II Kings 6:17

One of the salient characteristics of the Kingship of Christ is His Defense of His People. There are examples of this everywhere in Scripture. We look to Exodus and there we behold the fiery, cloudy pillar moving between the children of Israel and the Egyptian army on the night when Israel marched through the Red Sea. If we look into the New Testament we see Christ interposing Himself between His disciples and the mob in the Garden of Gethsemane, saying, ‘Let these go their way.’ Before us today we have a graphic illustration of how Christ acts as the Great Defender of His people. The King of Syria sent an army to capture Elisha, the prophet, because of his knowledge of what Syria was attempting against Israel. Elisha’s servant was understandably distraught. Elisha prayed that God would open the eyes of the young man. When God did, our text reveals, ‘then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.’ Here is our meditation for today, as it relates to the Kingship of Christ. Christ defends His people. He does so, whether we are aware of it or not. There are moments when He removes the veil from our eyes so the we can see how personal His Defense of us really is. This is tremendously encouraging for us, especially when we find ourselves in the midst of ferocious enemies. Christ is the Great Defender of His people. We may see His Armies or not see them, yet they are still there for our good, and for His Eternal Glory.

‘We rest on Thee, our Shield and our Defender.’
We rejoice that You will deliver us from every evil work,
and preserve us unto Your Heavenly Kingdom.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning