Sights Unseen
From time to time I am asked to preside at a funeral. Recently, as I was preparing some comments for a graveside service, I was impressed by a couple of Old Testament events.
In the first one, as the time came for the prophet Elijah to leave this life, Elisha, his servant, sensed that he was about to be left on his own and told the man of God that he would not leave him. After several attempts to leave his faithful servant behind, Elijah gave him one last request. Elisha responded: "‘Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.’ And he said, ‘You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.’ Then it came about as they were going along and talking, that behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven. And Elisha saw it and cried out, ‘My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!’ And he saw him no more” (2 Kings 2:9b-12a).
Now later, after Elisha had assumed his prophetic ministry, the king of Syria surrounded Dothan, the city in which Elisha and his servant were staying. They had come to capture and kill the prophet because through him, the king of Israel had the military advantage. When the Syrian army encircled the city, the prophet’s servant was terrified. Elisha, seeing his servant’s distress, told him: “‘Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.’ And the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:15-17).
The miracle in both these cases was not what was seen by the amazed on-lookers, but the very fact that the intense activity in the spiritual realm was made visible to physical eyes for a moment or two. In both cases, the prophet of God knew, perhaps even “saw,” that things were happening of which his servant was unaware. This lack of sensitivity to what was happening spiritually left both servants distressed.
I sometimes think it would be very helpful to be able to catch a glimpse or two into the spiritual realm. The material world seems so solid, so relentless, so significant. Even as Christians we can feel ourselves to be at its mercy. It would be so comforting, I think, to have our eyes opened to the non-material reality which surrounds us.
Yet that is not available to us. The occasions recorded in the Bible are exceptional events. They do not set a new standard for some spiritual elite. God asks His children to walk by faith, not by sight. Especially and specifically at those difficult times when we see those we love slipping out of time into eternity. (See 2 Corinthians 5:6-10)
Seeing would rob of us of believing and believing has a rich reward as these words from Hebrews 10 detail: “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, ‘He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.’ But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.” (Hebrews 10:35-39)
Ron Hughes
© November 2007
