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Blind Soldiers · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Therefore sent he thither horses and chariots and a great host,
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  Speaker 1: and they came by night and compassed the city about.
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  Speaker 1: 2 Kings 6.14 As I stand in full confidence, I
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  Speaker 1: will not waver nor be afraid when Satan tries to
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  Speaker 1: bring enemies to the doorstep of my life to snuff
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  Speaker 1: out the flame of my calling. When the numbers of
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  Speaker 1: them seem to outnumber me, I will look through the
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  Speaker 1: eyes of my faith and remember that the army of
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  Speaker 1: the Lord is on my side with angels and chariots
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  Speaker 1: of fire ready to battle Satan and his spirits on
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  Speaker 1: my behalf. Therefore, I will continue to walk boldly and
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  Speaker 1: confront them as Elisha did, knowing that because you are
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  Speaker 1: on my side, no harm can overtake me. When others
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  Speaker 1: choose war, I will choose peace. because I know you
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  Speaker 1: will do more in peace than I ever could fighting
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  Speaker 1: on my behalf. Through 2 Kings 6, I can see
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  Speaker 1: and validate this truth for my life. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for making prayer a priority in your day.
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  Speaker 1: To learn more about the Bible, stay tuned for today's story.
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  Speaker 1: Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Blind soldiers.
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  Speaker 3: In our last story, we learn of Naaman's newfound love
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  Speaker 3: for God and desire to bless the people of God. However,
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  Speaker 3: Elisha's servant Gehazi's heart changes for the worse as he
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  Speaker 3: descends into a.
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  Speaker 2: Cycle of greed and treachery.
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  Speaker 3: Now we learn of the Aramean army seeking the head
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  Speaker 3: of Elisha.
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  Speaker 2: The prophet would find.
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  Speaker 3: Himself surrounded by men wanting to spill his blood. Yet
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  Speaker 3: even in the most dangerous circumstances... Elijah was able to
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  Speaker 3: stand in confidence, for God would provide a way for
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  Speaker 3: his life to be spared. Inspired by the book of
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  Speaker 3: 2 Kings.
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  Speaker 4: Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
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  Speaker 4: in a Year podcast. But before we begin, I want
• 2:26
  Speaker 4: to let you know about a unique e-book that's yours
• 2:29
  Speaker 4: to download absolutely free today. It's called Breaking Free from Stress.
• 2:35
  Speaker 4: And my prayer is that it will help you conquer
• 2:37
  Speaker 4: the daily tasks and pressures and burdens that bring stress
• 2:41
  Speaker 4: in your life. Download your free copy of Breaking Free
• 2:44
  Speaker 4: from Stress today by visiting jackgram.org slash stress. That's jackgram.org
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  Speaker 4: slash stress. In our last time together, we learned how
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  Speaker 4: Naaman responded to being cured of leprosy. This Syrian soldier,
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  Speaker 4: a general, gave his heart to God in gratitude for
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  Speaker 4: the healing that the Lord had provided for him, and
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  Speaker 4: he returned to his home country, telling of the glory
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  Speaker 4: of the one true God. We also saw the contrast
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  Speaker 4: of Elisha's servant, Gehiza, whose heart turned away from the
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  Speaker 4: Lord in disobedience and greed, and the price that he
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  Speaker 4: paid for his deceit. Today, we'll hear how Elisha will
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  Speaker 4: find himself in a life-threatening situation as the Aramean army
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  Speaker 4: seeks to kill him. will witness his trust in God
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  Speaker 4: as he stands firm in face of danger, courageous, knowing
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  Speaker 4: that God will protect him for his purposes and plans.
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  Speaker 4: Let's now go to God's Word.
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  Speaker 3: Once again, war spread across the east, and Israel was
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  Speaker 3: at odds with the kingdom of Aram. The two nations
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  Speaker 3: fought all throughout the land, switching battlefields often. Blood and
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  Speaker 3: ash caked the valleys between them, and many lives were lost.
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  Speaker 3: The king of Aram was fond of ambushing the people
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  Speaker 3: of Israel. Every week he would mount another attack by
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  Speaker 3: placing his soldiers in unexpected places. Israel seemed to be
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  Speaker 3: outmatched and unprepared. However, Israel had the Lord of heaven
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  Speaker 3: and earth on their side. The God of Israel would
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  Speaker 3: speak warnings to Elisha, informing him of where the Arameans
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  Speaker 3: were planning to mobilize their troops. When the king of
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  Speaker 3: Israel was preparing his soldiers for battle, Elisha would interrupt
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  Speaker 3: their strategizing. Do not venture near that place, Elisha would
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  Speaker 3: say before the men departed. The Arameans are lying in
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  Speaker 3: wait for you there. So the king of Israel had
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  Speaker 3: an edge over the king of Aram. Each day they
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  Speaker 3: would dodge another ambush from the enemy. After several failed
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  Speaker 3: attempts at capturing the Israelite armies, the king of Aram
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  Speaker 3: grew uncontrollably angry.
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  Speaker 2: His blood boiled with rage.
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  Speaker 3: It seemed as though the armies of Israel knew exactly
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  Speaker 3: where they would be every time.' Which one of you
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  Speaker 3: is the traitor?' he yelled at his officers. The king
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  Speaker 3: was spitting with rage. His eyes were weary and revealed a.
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  Speaker 2: Slow descent into madness.
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  Speaker 3: Who has been informing the king of Israel about my plans?
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  Speaker 2: Surely it must be one of you!' he shouted.
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  Speaker 3: The officers trembled with fear and concern. They had not
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  Speaker 3: betrayed their king. One of them spoke up, saying, It
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  Speaker 3: is not us, my king. It is Elisha, the prophet
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  Speaker 3: of Israel. The king looked confused and impatient. He tells
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  Speaker 3: the king everything, even the private things you only speak
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  Speaker 3: of in your chambers. The king of Aram sat down
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  Speaker 3: for a moment. His once violent demeanor turned into a
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  Speaker 3: slow simmer.
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  Speaker 2: He remained silent.
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  Speaker 3: His officers could see his mind racing as his eyes
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  Speaker 3: stared into nothing. Go and find where he is, the
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  Speaker 3: king finally said Then send troops to seize him The
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  Speaker 3: king thought he had finally found his enemy He thought
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  Speaker 3: that if he captured Elisha, all would be settled He
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  Speaker 3: did not know that he was picking a fight with
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  Speaker 3: God himself After a few days, a report returned to
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  Speaker 3: the king of Aram Elisha is at Dothan, the messenger
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  Speaker 3: said So the king mounted a great army with chariots
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  Speaker 3: and horsemen to take the city of Dothan They rode
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  Speaker 3: under the cover of night like a silent storm sweeping
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  Speaker 3: through the city. They approached the home of Elisha and
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  Speaker 3: surrounded the entire house with chariots and horsemen. There they
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  Speaker 3: waited until sunrise so they could see the face of
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  Speaker 3: the prophet before laying his head on a pike. Night
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  Speaker 3: passed and the sun was slowly rising above the distant hills.
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  Speaker 3: The only sound was of birds chirping. One of Elisha's
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  Speaker 3: servants awoke and looked out the window to see an
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  Speaker 3: entire army surrounding their home. Troops, horses, and chariots stood
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  Speaker 3: around the perimeter in perfect stillness, almost like statues. The
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  Speaker 3: servant ran into his master's bedroom and shook him awake.
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  Speaker 3: Elisha looked out the window to see the king and
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  Speaker 3: his men standing.
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  Speaker 2: Outside the house.
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  Speaker 3: What are we going to do?' the young man cried
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  Speaker 3: to Elisha. He was trembling, and the army outside was
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  Speaker 3: beginning to stir. It was a truly unsettling sight, but
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  Speaker 3: Elisha did not panic. Do not be afraid, Elisha said.
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  Speaker 3: He placed a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder, then gestured.
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  Speaker 2: To the window.
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  Speaker 3: It is them who should fear, for there are more
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  Speaker 3: on our side than on theirs. Look! As Elisha prayed
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  Speaker 3: to the Lord, the young men looked out the window
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  Speaker 3: and saw figures on the distant hillside. Thousands of horses
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  Speaker 3: and chariots blazing in flames stood at attention. The young
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  Speaker 3: man was able to see what Elisha saw. The Lord's
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  Speaker 3: armies were ready to fight for them if need be.
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  Speaker 3: Elisha kneeled before God and prayed, Lord, make them blind.
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  Speaker 2: Protect us.
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  Speaker 3: So the Lord made them blind to who Elisha was.
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  Speaker 3: As Elisha exited his home, his identity remained hidden from
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  Speaker 3: the men. So he was able to approach them without
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  Speaker 3: fear of being captured. My friends, Elisha shouted. You poor
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  Speaker 3: souls who have come to the wrong place. This isn't
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  Speaker 3: the right city to find the prophet. Please let me
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  Speaker 3: guide you to the man.
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  Speaker 2: You are looking for.
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  Speaker 3: So Elisha guided the confused army to Samaria, the capital
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  Speaker 3: of Israel. The army followed Elisha, still confused as to
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  Speaker 3: who they were looking for. By the time the Lord
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  Speaker 3: began to open their eyes as to who Elisha was
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  Speaker 3: and where they were, it was too late. The army
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  Speaker 3: had traveled into the belly of their enemy, Israel.
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  Speaker 2: The king of Israel and his armies had them surrounded.
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  Speaker 3: With spears and arrows mounted for attack, the Aramean army
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  Speaker 3: found themselves completely vulnerable. The king of Israel emerged from
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  Speaker 3: the group of soldiers and greeted Elisha.' My father!' he shouted.'
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  Speaker 3: What shall we do with them? Shall I kill them
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  Speaker 3: where they stand? Should I spill their blood on the
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  Speaker 3: city streets?' Of course not, Elisha replied with enthusiasm. We
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  Speaker 3: are people of mercy. We do not kill vulnerable prisoners.
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  Speaker 3: Elisha turned to the king who previously hunted his head.
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  Speaker 2: The king of Aram looked back at Elisha.
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  Speaker 3: He could see a true reflection of the mercy of
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  Speaker 3: God in his eyes. In that moment, the king realized
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  Speaker 3: that Elisha's power was not his own. He served someone greater.
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  Speaker 2: Give them food, drinks, and then send them home. Elisha
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  Speaker 2: said to his king.
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  Speaker 3: Then Elisha smiled and left back home. The king of
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  Speaker 3: Israel made a great feast for the Aramean army, and
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  Speaker 3: then they.
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  Speaker 2: Were sent home.
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  Speaker 3: From that day forward, there was harmony between the two nations.
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  Speaker 3: Mercy had triumphed over judgment, and although God had placed
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  Speaker 3: chariots of fire at a distance to protect His beloved,
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  Speaker 3: ultimately it was an act of kindness that brought true peace.
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  Speaker 4: As we listen to God's Word today, we discover that
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  Speaker 4: Israel is once more at war with a neighbor, This
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  Speaker 4: time it is the nation of Aram, also known as Syria,
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  Speaker 4: who intends on conquering God's people. But they are having
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  Speaker 4: no success in their efforts. For you see, God had
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  Speaker 4: been speaking to Elisha, telling him exactly where the enemy
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  Speaker 4: was mounting an attack. And so the larger and more
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  Speaker 4: formidable army was frustrated each time because Israel anticipated their
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  Speaker 4: every move. Little did they know that Israel had the
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  Speaker 4: Lord of hosts on their side. The king of Aram
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  Speaker 4: was understandably furious and suspicious that there was a mole
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  Speaker 4: in his midst. Surely one of his soldiers was somehow
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  Speaker 4: getting information to Israel and tipping them off. But despite
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  Speaker 4: the enraged screaming at the troops, no informant was found.
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  Speaker 4: It just made no sense to him. Then one of
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  Speaker 4: his generals told him about Elisha, the prophet of Israel,
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  Speaker 4: who somehow knew exactly what was going to happen. Soothsayers
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  Speaker 4: and fortune-tailors were not uncommon in those days, and many
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  Speaker 4: kings consulted them. So the king of Aram just assumed Elisha,
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  Speaker 4: though he was really good at his job, was just
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  Speaker 4: a man, a nuisance that needed to be dealt with.
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  Speaker 4: If he could take him out, the battle could be won.
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  Speaker 4: So he set his sights on Elisha, not knowing that
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  Speaker 4: the true power of Elisha came from the one speaking
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  Speaker 4: to and through Elisha, God himself. As soon as the
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  Speaker 4: scouts found out where Elisha was, they sent word to
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  Speaker 4: the king that he was at Dothan. So the king
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  Speaker 4: mobilized his army to Dothan to capture and kill the
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  Speaker 4: prophet Elisha. When Elisha's servants saw the army surrounding his home,
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  Speaker 4: he panicked. And of course, that's understandable. If you look
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  Speaker 4: out your window and you saw horses and chariots surrounding you,
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  Speaker 4: it would be very unsettling. So the servant ran and
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  Speaker 4: told his master Elisha, but This man of God was
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  Speaker 4: courageous and unfazed. Have you ever been around someone like that?
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  Speaker 4: When danger arises, when disaster seems to press from all sizes,
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  Speaker 4: they just keep their calm and their courage? Calm like
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  Speaker 4: fear can be contagious, especially when the person who stays
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  Speaker 4: calm gives a reason. And that's just exactly what Elisha did,
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  Speaker 4: recorded in 2 Kings 6, verse 16. He said, do
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  Speaker 4: not be afraid, for those who are with us are
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  Speaker 4: far more than those who are with them. I can
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  Speaker 4: just picture this servant taking a brief look outside to
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  Speaker 4: see if he had missed something. Was there another army
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  Speaker 4: that he didn't see? Well, in fact, there was. But
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  Speaker 4: it wasn't until Elisha asked the Lord to open his
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  Speaker 4: servant's eyes that he could really see. God opened this
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  Speaker 4: servant's eyes and he saw God's army armies of angels
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  Speaker 4: covering the mountains, horses and chariots of fires, a supernatural sight,
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  Speaker 4: no doubt. So often in our lives, when we look
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  Speaker 4: at problems that are so much bigger than us, we
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  Speaker 4: see them through human eyes, but we do not realize
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  Speaker 4: that our God is fighting an unseen battle for us,
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  Speaker 4: that there are angels all around us, and that God
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  Speaker 4: protects his own. The Bible says in the New Testament,
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  Speaker 4: greater is he that is in you than he that
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  Speaker 4: is in the world. The Bible also says, if God
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  Speaker 4: be for us, who can be against us? So I
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  Speaker 4: don't know what enemy, adversary, foe, or circumstance you may
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  Speaker 4: be facing in your life, but God is with you
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  Speaker 4: and God is for you. He is fighting for you.
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  Speaker 4: If there was to be a fight that day, Elisha
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  Speaker 4: was not concerned, but he didn't want to fight. He
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  Speaker 4: asked God to blind the Aramean army and he walked
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  Speaker 4: right out unrecognized, and sent them to another town. He
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  Speaker 4: then called the king of Israel, and the army surrounded
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  Speaker 4: their unsuspecting enemy. Their foe was there for the taking,
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  Speaker 4: but Elisha did not let the king of Israel spill blood.
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  Speaker 4: Peace was forged that day between two nations, as judgment
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  Speaker 4: and violence were replaced by mercy and grace. It's a
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  Speaker 4: picture of God's own heart, isn't it? The heart of
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  Speaker 4: the Lord Jesus, who is full of grace and truth
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  Speaker 4: and mercy to all of us who were once his enemies,
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  Speaker 4: but have now been brought near because of his grace
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  Speaker 4: and power. Dear God, thank you that you have chosen
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  Speaker 4: to show mercy through us through your son, Jesus Christ,
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  Speaker 4: that we are saved by your grace through faith in him.
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  Speaker 4: We know that we deserve judgment and condemnation, but we
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  Speaker 4: also know, according to the scripture, that there is now
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  Speaker 4: no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. We
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  Speaker 4: look to you today and to your angel armies for
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  Speaker 4: your protection and peace. For we pray in Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 4: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
• 15:18
  Speaker 4: Before we go, I want to let you know about
• 15:20
  Speaker 4: a unique e-book that's yours to download absolutely free today.
• 15:25
  Speaker 4: It's called Breaking Free from Stress. And my prayer is
• 15:29
  Speaker 4: that it will help you conquer the daily task and
• 15:32
  Speaker 4: pressures and burdens that bring stress into your life. Download
• 15:35
  Speaker 4: your free copy of Breaking Free from Stress today by
• 15:39
  Speaker 4: visiting jackgram.org slash stress. That's jackgram.org slash stress.