“Then the king of Aram was fighting against Israel, and he took counsel with his servants, saying, ‘At such and such a place will be my camp.’”

— 2 Kings 6:8

God uses different means to achieve His good purposes. In the days of Elisha the prophet, Ben-Hadad, the wicked king of Aram, wanted to go to war against Israel, the northern kingdom. So he sent one of his bands of marauders into Israel to take prisoners and gather substance and treasure. These marauding bands of Ben-Hadad were sent frequently into Israel. But all of a sudden something had happened. Every time they would go to lay a trap for the king of Israel, he would be forewarned and he wouldn’t be there.

Finally, Ben-Hadad was much troubled. He thought there must be a traitor in their midst, but his captains assured him there was no traitor among them. Rather, it was that prophet Elisha who was being such a problem because he could hear the very words of the king of Aram, which were spoken in his bedchamber, in a distant land.

Now the fame of Elisha had spread since God had used him to cure Naaman,  general of Syria, of his leprosy. And the word had gone out. They knew he was the prophet of Israel, and so Ben-Hadad, foolishly, decided he was going to capture him.

Despite Israel’s many shortcomings, God was keeping watch over His own. He used the man of God Elisha to prevent His people from being destroyed. God uses different means to protect His own. Only in heaven will we be able to see the myriad ways in which the Lord has protected us.

Lord God, Keeper of Israel, thank You for also keeping me. Thank You for keeping me from sin and keeping watch over my comings and goings. Most of all, thank You for keeping my soul safe for eternity…

BY GOD’S STRENGTH,
WE ARE KEPT SAFE.