“O Jehovah, Open His Eyes”

ON A hill within a valley in Israel stood the walled city of Dothan. Early one morning, an attendant rose, went outside, and faced a shocking sight! Horses, chariots, and a formidable Syrian battalion had arrived during the night. They now surrounded the city. The hostile army was after one man in particular​—Elisha the prophet. Terrified, the attendant rushed to tell the prophet​—his own master—​about this deadly threat.

Threats and danger were not new to Elisha. Years earlier, Jehovah had sent the prophet Elijah to appoint Elisha as his successor and to train him. Together, the two men had faced the wickedness of King Ahab and his queen, Jezebel, and their son Ahaziah. Then a fiery celestial chariot swooped down and separated the older prophet from his younger friend. Elijah was taken away in a windstorm. Elisha may never have seen his older friend again, but he carried on the work that Elijah had spearheaded, leading “the sons of the prophets” in Jehovah’s ongoing war against Baal worship.​—2 Ki. 2:15.

Jehovah enabled Elisha to perform a number of miracles. Not long before this time, the prophet had healed Naaman, a prominent army chief and valued servant of Ben-hadad, the king of Syria. But that king, instead of being grateful, continued to send raiding parties into Israel. Jehovah kept thwarting Ben-hadad by revealing to Elisha where the raiding parties would attack next. Furious, the Syrian king asked his servants which of them was betraying his secret plans to the enemy. One servant spoke up, saying that it was Jehovah’s prophet Elisha “who tells the king of Israel the things that you say in your own bedroom.” When Ben-hadad learned that Elisha was at Dothan, he sent his men to capture the prophet.

It was Elisha’s attendant who first saw the Syrian army. He ran to the prophet, crying out: “Alas, my master! What are we to do?” Elisha saw the fear in the man’s eyes, so he reassured him: “Do not be afraid!” Then he added these memorable words: “For there are more who are with us than those who are with them.” Perhaps the attendant looked at the prophet in disbelief. How could two men outnumber a huge army? So Elisha prayed: “O Jehovah, open his eyes, please, that he may see.”

Jehovah responded immediately. He enabled the attendant to perceive what was happening in the spirit realm. Suddenly the man saw an army infinitely greater than any human force: “The mountainous region was full of horses and war chariots of fire all around Elisha”!

The Syrian forces did not see Jehovah’s angelic army. They approached the city to take Elisha. He, in turn, asked Jehovah to blind them. Rather than depriving the Syrians of their physical sight, it seems that Jehovah prevented the attackers from understanding what their eyes saw. Helpless, they allowed Elisha to guide them. He brought them right to Samaria, some 16 kilometers (10 mi) away, and then asked Jehovah to open their eyes. When He did so, they suddenly grasped where they were​—trapped, right in the midst of Israel’s capital city! The king of Israel wanted to execute them. But Elisha mercifully directed that the Syrian raiders be fed and sent home. The account concludes: “Not once did the marauder bands of the Syrians come again into the land of Israel.”

The prophet knew that those angelic forces were present. He “saw” them with his eyes of faith. His years of service to Jehovah had taught him that Jehovah and his angels are never far away and that they are always eager to help faithful servants of God. Such knowledge surely gave Elisha courage. It can do the same for us.

Read the Bible account:

• 2 Kings 6:8-23

For discussion:

In what ways did Elisha show courage?

1. 2. Why did Elisha ask for “a double portion” of Elijah’s spirit? (2 Ki. 2:9; w03 11/1 31)

   Your answer

2. 3. Why is it reasonable to conclude that Jehovah struck the Syrians with mental, not physical, blindness? (it “Blindness” ¶6)

   Your answer

3. 4. Describe the work that Elisha accomplished as a prophet. (it “Elisha” ¶27-28)

   Your answer

Reflect on the Lessons

• In what situations can we be strengthened by “seeing” the angels with our eyes of faith? B

  Your answer

  

• How can elders and others imitate the way Elisha encouraged his attendant?

  Your answer

• In what ways might you imitate the courage of Elisha in your life?

  Your answer

Meditate on the Bigger Picture

• What does this account teach me about Jehovah?

  Your answer

• How does the account tie in with Jehovah’s purposes?

  Your answer

• What would I like to ask Elisha in the resurrection?

  Your answer

Learn More

What example does Elisha set for brothers who take on a new assignment?

Respect Experienced Men (4:48)

Examine additional lessons from events in Elisha’s life.

“Elisha Saw Fiery Chariots​—Do You?” (w13 8/15 28-30)