GOD, wars, and PROPHETS

 Proverbs 25:8

King James Version

8 Go not forth hastily to strive, 

lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, 

when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame.

How does GOD conduct a war?

How does He vanquish Israel's enemies?

How does He equip His prophets?

How does He want His warriors to be?

You will find a remarkable example from the Old Testament:

2 Kings 6:8-10

King James Version

8 Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, 

and took counsel with his servants, saying, 

In such and such a place shall be my camp.

9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, 

saying, 

Beware that thou pass not such a place; 

for thither the Syrians are come down.

10 And the king of Israel sent to the place 

which the man of God told him and warned him of,

and saved himself there, 

not once nor twice.

2 Kings 6:11-12

King James Version

11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria 

was sore troubled for this thing; 

and he called his servants, and said unto them, 

Will ye not shew me which of us 

is for the king of Israel?

12 And one of his servants said, 

None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, 

the prophet that is in Israel, 

telleth the king of Israel the words 

that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.

2 Kings 6:13-14

King James Version

13 And he said, 

Go and spy where he is, 

that I may send and fetch him. 

And it was told him, saying, 

Behold, he is in Dothan.

14 Therefore sent he thither horses, 

and chariots, 

and a great host: 

and they came by night, 

and compassed the city about.

2 Kings 6:15-16

King James Version

15 And when the servant of the man of God 

was risen early, and gone forth, 

behold, an host compassed the city 

both with horses and chariots. 

And his servant said unto him, 

Alas, my master! how shall we do?

16 And he answered, 

Fear not: 

for they that be with us 

are more than they that be with them.

(The 16th verse reminds us of a similar verse 

from the New Testament:

1 John 4:4

King James Version

4 Ye are of God, little children, 

and have overcome them: 

because greater is he that is in you, 

than he that is in the world.)

2 Kings 6:17

King James Version

17 And Elisha prayed, and said, 

Lord, I pray thee, 

open his eyes, that he may see. 

And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; 

and he saw: and, behold, 

the mountain was full of horses 

and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

2 Kings 6:18-19

King James Version

18 And when they came down to him, 

Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, 

Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. 

And he smote them with blindness 

according to the word of Elisha.

19 And Elisha said unto them, 

This is not the way, 

neither is this the city:

 follow me, 

and I will bring you to the man 

whom ye seek. 

But he led them to Samaria.

2 Kings 6:20

King James Version

20 And it came to pass, 

when they were come into Samaria, 

that Elisha said, 

Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. 

And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; 

and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.

2 Kings 6:21-22

King James Version

21 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, 

when he saw them, 

My father, shall I smite them? 

shall I smite them?

22 And he answered, 

Thou shalt not smite them: 

wouldest thou smite those 

whom thou hast taken captive 

with thy sword and with thy bow? 

set bread and water before them, 

that they may eat and drink, 

and go to their master.

2 Kings 6:23

King James Version

23 And he prepared great provision for them: 

and when they had eaten and drunk, 

he sent them away, and they went to their master. 

So the bands of Syria came no more 

into the land of Israel.

Why did prophet Elisha instruct the king of Israel to feed their enemies?

A case of "reverse psychology?

Well, it proved effective:

 "that they may eat and drink, and go to their master"

"So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel."

Which also reminds us of what wise king Solomon said:

Proverbs 25:21-22

King James Version

21 If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; 

and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:

22 For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, 

and the Lord shall reward thee.

Another good reminder is this:

Romans 12:19

King James Version

19 Dearly beloved, 

avenge not yourselves, 

but rather give place unto wrath: 

for it is written, 

Vengeance is mine; 

I will repay, 

saith the Lord.

There are many ways to fight a battle.

Become born again, a true child of GOD.

That SPIRIT may teach you GOD's ways, will, and wisdom.

TRUST GOD, and He will give you the victory.

If it be His will.

1 Chronicles 29:11-12

King James Version

11 Thine, O Lord is the greatness, and the power, 

and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: 

for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; 

thine is the kingdom, O Lord, 

and thou art exalted as head above all.

12 Both riches and honour come of thee, 

and thou reignest over all; 

and in thine hand is power and might; 

and in thine hand it is to make great,

 and to give strength unto all.

1 Corinthians 15:57

King James Version

57 But thanks be to God, 

which giveth us the victory 

through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 John 5:4-5

King James Version

4 For whatsoever is born of God 

overcometh the world: 

and this is the victory 

that overcometh the world, 

even our faith.

5 Who is he that overcometh the world, 

but he that believeth that Jesus 

is the Son of God?

As we wrote over two years ago, in "God's INVISIBLE army":

"There really is an unseen army from GOD, 

who protects all who love Him, 

and those whom He chooses to protect."

Exodus 14:14

King James Version

14 The Lord shall fight for you, 

and ye shall hold your peace.

Related verses:

The MIGHT, POWER, and GLORY of GOD

ALL battles are SPIRITUAL battles

The ONLY Power is of GOD

God's INVISIBLE army

Spirit BEHIND wars

HOST of HEAVEN

GOD's POWER

On PROPHETS

Psalm 44 KJV

God's INVISIBLE army

 

2 Kings 6:17

King James Version

17 And Elisha prayed, and said, 

Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. 

And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; 

and he saw: and, behold, 

the mountain was full of horses 

and chariots of fire 

round about Elisha.

Woke up this morning to the words, "God's INVISIBLE army".

I knew SPIRIT wanted me to search for verses attesting to that.

So we may know the POWER and GLORY of the GREAT GOD.

Here's one instance regarding the faith of the prophet Elisha, and how GOD fought for Israel:

2 Kings 6:8-23

King James Version

8 Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, 

and took counsel with his servants, 

saying, 

In such and such a place shall be my camp.

9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, 

saying, 

Beware that thou pass not such a place; 

for thither the Syrians are come down.

10 And the king of Israel sent to the place 

which the man of God told him and warned him of, 

and saved himself there, 

not once nor twice.

11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria 

was sore troubled for this thing; 

and he called his servants, 

and said unto them, 

Will ye not shew me which of us 

is for the king of Israel?

12 And one of his servants said, 

None, my lord, O king: 

but Elisha, 

the prophet that is in Israel, 

telleth the king of Israel the words 

that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.

13 And he said, 

Go and spy where he is, 

that I may send and fetch him. 

And it was told him, 

saying, 

Behold, he is in Dothan.

14 Therefore sent he thither horses, 

and chariots, and a great host: 

and they came by night, 

and compassed the city about.

15 And when the servant of the man of God 

was risen early, and gone forth, 

behold, 

an host compassed the city 

both with horses and chariots. 

And his servant said unto him, 

Alas, my master! 

how shall we do?

16 And he answered, 

Fear not: 

for they that be with us 

are more than they that be with them.

17 And Elisha prayed, 

and said, 

Lord, I pray thee, 

open his eyes, 

that he may see. 

And the Lord opened the eyes 

of the young man; 

and he saw: 

and, behold, 

the mountain was full of horses 

and chariots of fire 

round about Elisha.

18 And when they came down to him, 

Elisha prayed unto the Lord, 

and said, 

Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. 

And he smote them with blindness 

according to the word of Elisha.

19 And Elisha said unto them, 

This is not the way, 

neither is this the city: 

follow me, 

and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. 

But he led them to Samaria.

20 And it came to pass, 

when they were come into Samaria, 

that Elisha said, 

Lord, open the eyes of these men, 

that they may see. 

And the Lord opened their eyes, 

and they saw; 

and, behold, 

they were in the midst of Samaria.

21 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, 

when he saw them, 

My father, shall I smite them? 

shall I smite them?

22 And he answered, 

Thou shalt not smite them: 

wouldest thou smite those whom thou 

hast taken captive with thy sword 

and with thy bow? 

set bread and water before them, 

that they may eat and drink, 

and go to their master.

23 And he prepared great provision for them: 

and when they had eaten and drunk, 

he sent them away, 

and they went to their master. 

So the bands of Syria came no more 

into the land of Israel.

Take particular note of Elisha's reassurance towards his frightened servant:

2 Kings 6:16

King James Version

16 And he answered, 

Fear not: 

for they that be with us 

are more than they that be with them.

Apostle John's words to believers in JESUS echoes that very same reassurance:

1 John 4:4

King James Version

4 Ye are of God, 

little children, 

and have overcome them: 

because greater is he that is in you, 

than he that is in the world.

There really is an unseen army from GOD, who protects all who love Him, and those whom He chooses to protect.

Exodus 14:14

King James Version

14 The Lord shall fight for you, 

and ye shall hold your peace.

More on GOD's VAST army here:

JESUS

On PROPHETS

On ANGELS

Related material:

The MAGNIFICENCE and MAJESTY of GOD

GOD, wars, and PROPHETS

GOD's POWER

Image: Free Bible Images

HOST of HEAVEN

 

1 Kings 22:19

King James Version

19 And he said, 

Hear thou therefore the word of the Lord: 

I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, 

and all the host of heaven 

standing by him on his right hand and on his left.

I had been reading about the host of heaven -- from Scripture -- but never really looked into it.

Until now.

Prophet Micaiah spoke those words to the skeptical king of Israel (Ahab), when asked if the king should go against Ramothgilead.

More about that event can be read here.

What is the "host of heaven"?

Scripture defines it, from these Bible versions:

1 Kings 22:19

Amplified Bible

19 Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host (army) of heaven standing by Him on His right hand and on His left.

1 Kings 22:19

Christian Standard Bible

19 Then Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and the whole heavenly army was standing by him at his right hand and at his left hand.

1 Kings 22:19

Common English Bible

19 Then Micaiah said, “Listen now to the Lord’s word: I saw the Lord enthroned with all the heavenly forces stationed beside him, at his right and at his left.

1 Kings 22:19

Complete Jewish Bible

19 Mikhay’hu continued: “Therefore hear the word of Adonai. I saw Adonai sitting on his throne with the whole army of heaven standing by him on his right and on his left.

1 Kings 22:19

Contemporary English Version

19  Micaiah replied:

Listen to this! I also saw the Lord seated on his throne with every creature in heaven gathered around him.

1 Kings 22:19

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

19 And he added and said: Hear thou therefore the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the army of heaven standing by him on the right hand and on the left:

1 Kings 22:19

Easy-to-Read Version

19 But Micaiah said, “Listen to this message from the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne. All of heaven’s army was standing around him, some on his left side and some on his right side.

1 Kings 22:19

Evangelical Heritage Version

The Lord’s Proclamation Against Ahab

19 Then Micaiah said:

Now hear this word from the Lord.

I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and the whole army of heaven was standing around him, on his right and on his left.

1 Kings 22:19

Expanded Bible

19 But Micaiah said, “Hear the ·message from [L word of] the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with his heavenly ·army [hosts] standing near him on his right and on his left.

1 Kings 22:19

Good News Translation

19 Micaiah went on: “Now listen to what the Lord says! I saw the Lord sitting on his throne in heaven, with all his angels standing beside him.

1 Kings 22:19

International Children’s Bible

19 But Micaiah continued to speak. He said, “Hear the message from the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne. His heavenly army was standing near him on his right and on his left.

1 Kings 22:19

International Standard Version

19 But Micaiah responded, “Therefore, listen to what the Lord has to say. I saw the Lord, sitting on his throne, and the entire Heavenly Army was standing around him on his right hand and on his left hand.

1 Kings 22:19

Living Bible

19 Then Micaiah said, “Listen to this further word from the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and the armies of heaven stood around him.

1 Kings 22:19

The Message

19-23 Micaiah kept on: “I’m not done yet; listen to God’s word:

I saw God enthroned,

    and all the angel armies of heaven

Standing at attention

    ranged on his right and his left.

1 Kings 22:19

Names of God Bible

19 Micaiah added, “Then hear the word of Yahweh. I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne, and the entire army of heaven was standing near him on his right and his left.

1 Kings 22:19

New American Standard Bible

19 And Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the [a]angels of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left.

1 Kings 22:19

New English Translation

19 Micaiah[a] said, “That being the case, listen to the Lord’s message. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, with all the heavenly assembly standing beside him on his right and on his left.

1 Kings 22:19

New International Reader's Version

19 Micaiah continued, “Listen to the Lord’s message. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne. All the angels of heaven were standing around him. Some were standing at his right side. The others were standing at his left side.

1 Kings 22:19

New International Version

19 Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left.

1 Kings 22:19

New Life Version

19 Micaiah said, “So hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on His throne. All those in heaven were standing by Him on His right and on His left.

1 Kings 22:19

New Living Translation

19 Then Micaiah continued, “Listen to what the Lord says! I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the armies of heaven around him, on his right and on his left.

Melachim Alef 22:19

Orthodox Jewish Bible

19 And he said, Shema Devar Hashem: I saw Hashem sitting on his kisse, and all the Tzva HaShomayim standing by Him on His right hand and on His left.

1 Kings 22:19

The Voice

Micaiah: 19 You should heed the Eternal’s message. I saw a vision of the Eternal One sitting on His throne with the heavenly army surrounding Him on all sides.

1 Kings 22:19

World English Bible

19 Micaiah said, “Therefore hear Yahweh’s word. I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne, and all the army of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.

In SUMMARY, "all the host of heaven" means:

all the host (army) of heaven

the whole heavenly army

all the heavenly forces

the whole army of heaven

every creature in heaven

all the army of heaven

All of heaven’s army

the whole army of heaven

heavenly ·army [hosts]

all his angels

His heavenly army

the entire Heavenly Army

the armies of heaven

all the angel armies of heaven

the entire army of heaven

all the [a]angels of heaven

all the heavenly assembly

All the angels of heaven

all the multitudes of heaven

All those in heave

all the armies of heaven

all the Tzva HaShomayim

the heavenly army

all the army of heaven

We get an understanding that the "host of heaven" is GOD's army, composed of angels.

What power can GOD give ONE angel?

On such angel can slay 185,000 soldiers in one night:

2 Kings 19:35

King James Version

35 And it came to pass that night, 

that the angel of the Lord went out, 

and smote in the camp of the Assyrians 

an hundred fourscore and five thousand: 

and when they arose early in the morning, 

behold, 

they were all dead corpses.

And if you want to know the number of angels that JESUS can call upon, know this:

Matthew 26:53

King James Version

53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, 

and he shall presently give me 

more than twelve legions of angels?

A legion is composed of 4,000 to 6,000 soldiers. 

Multiply that by what ONE angel can do.

Of course, we're measuring legions by human standards.

We have no idea GOD's power.

Related material:

VERSES on HEAVEN

The MIGHT, POWER, and GLORY of GOD

The ONLY Power is of GOD

Bible DISCOVERY 11: The NATURE of GOD

GOD's GREAT POWER

HOW the LORD Fights for Us

On ANGELS

The MOMENTARILY frightened PROPHET (on Elijah and Ahab)

JESUS and Satan

JESUS

BASIS for BIBLE versions

Image: Wallpaper Access