Guardians - Pt 2

When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” (2 Kings 6:15-16 ESV).

Our reading today describes the miraculous event of the protection of the Prophet Elisha with an army of angels in fiery chariots. There is simply no legitimate means to explain this reference other than the plainly written description we have in the Scripture. They were sent to guard and protect the prophet of God. However, as we continue in our exploration of the angels God has assigned to our care, we must be careful to understand the full scope of the Scripture in the description of angels. This is especially true in reference to the reading yesterday when we saw Jesus instructing the disciples concerning children. There he said, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For (because) I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 18:10). It is possible that “their angels” refers to a specific angel assigned to each disciple. There is one other text that some think points in this direction. When the praying believers in Acts 12 could not believe that Peter was knocking at the gate, since he was supposed to be in prison, they said, “It is his angel!” (cf. Acts 12:15). While there is no doubt that God assigns angels to protect his children, that truth may or may not indicate that all believers have a “guardian angel” assigned to them. It may only imply that in that situation God had commissioned an angel to minister to the needs of Peter. What we can say with certainty from both of the readings (Matthew 18 and 2 Kings 6) is that the angels are mighty beings create by God to serve his purpose. While this may not mean every believer has an individual angel assigned to them, there can be no doubt that God’s protection extends to the commanding of legions of mighty warriors to protect and keep us. The plural “angels” (cf. Matthew 18:10) may simply mean that all believers have numerous angels assigned to serve them, not just one. We may also understand that these beings are at the beck and call of God, not men. They serve the will of God. Because of that truth we can know that our good is always being produced by their ministries. Elisha’s words to his servant are the key for us as we reflect on the scope of God’s care and provision for our well-being, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” (v. 16). We need not call on the King’s captains when we have an open door to the presence of the King Himself! For the believer, fear ought to fade away in this knowledge. God and all his armies protect and serve us!