Two Examples of Living with Spiritual Sight

In a previous blog, I wrote about spiritual sight and the role of the Spirit in setting our vision.  The focal passage for that blog was from Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth, “So we do not lose heart.  Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.  For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but the things that are unseen.  For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18.  Two key principles for spiritual sight were established in the earlier blog.  First, you have to believe an unseen world exists and secondly, the Holy Spirit can give you the insight to see the unseen world.  The ability to believe and to see is rooted in faith. (Hebrews 11:1).  For this blog, I want to focus on two Biblical examples of this type of spiritual sight and how it directs the lives of Elisha and Moses.

In the 6^th chapter of 2 Kings we read an account of the prophet Elisha thwarting the military plans of the Syrian king.  Every time the king makes a military plan against Israel, the army of Israel knows what is happening and has prepared a counter plan.  The king of Syria believes there is a traitor in the ranks of the Syrian regime. (2 Kings 6:8-11).  It is a servant who informs the king there is no a traitor in your midst, rather it is the prophet Elisha in Israel.  The spiritual sight of Elisha is so great that God is revealing to him the king’s plans.  In anger, the king of Syria travels with his army to Dothan to remove Elisha, before waging war against Israel. (2 Kings 6:12-15).

When the invading army shows up, a disciple of Elisha is paralyzed by fear.  From his physical perspective the soldiers with military armor and weapons will easily over power some prophets with scrolls. However, Elisha is not afraid, and his confidence is in the ability to see into a spiritual realm.  Elisha prays that his servant would be able to see the unseen spiritual reality surrounding them.   What the servant sees is a mountain full of heavenly warriors arrayed for battle and full of fire.  The army of Syria is out manned, under equipped, and mismatched for the battle that is about to occur.  (2 Kings 6:17).

Your enemy is ready to wage war.  He wants to capture you physically and defeat you spiritually.  However, this is a spiritual battle, and the forces of God for you are always greater then the demonic powers that come against you.  If you would see the power of God at work around you in unseen realms, you would not be afraid but could have confidence that “Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4) and if “God is for us who can be against us” (Romans 8:31).

The second example is Moses, but the Moses depicted in the book of Hebrews.  The writer of Hebrews presents the Hall of Faith in chapter 11 and rightly extols the faith of Moses.  There he writes, “He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.  By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.” Hebrews 11:26-27.  Notice the two things that led Moses as he led the nation of Israel, “looking for a reward” and “seeing Him who is invisible”.  Moses saw the weightier eternal and spiritual dimension at work in the exodus and that was the reward he set his eyes upon.  Moses also saw God as the invisible leader leading him to lead a nation. 

Great spiritual leaders of the Bible almost always have a spiritual vision to see the unseen and an ability to be led by the Spirit.  The same principle holds true for you and me.  We are to have spiritual vision and be led by the Holy Spirit.  So often we give ourselves a quick pass and say that Elisha and Moses are made of different stuff than we are.  We excuse our lack of spiritual fervor and insight on some physical flaw.  I completely disagree.  If anything, we should have more spiritual insight than they did.  We know the totality of Scripture, they did not.  We understand the Messianic plan of God and they held only pieces and parts of it.  Finally, we have been commanded to do more than Elisha, Moses, and to even exceed the physical works of Jesus.  “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.” John 14:12.

There is an immediate push back within me to say, “I could never do more than Jesus.”  And that statement is right and wrong at the same time.  I could never do more than Jesus, if I rely on my physical strength, ability, wisdom, and sight.  However, Jesus says He is going to the Father, which is language to indicate that the Holy Spirit will be sent.  I know that the Holy Spirit is God and has the power to do anything.  I know the Holy Spirit takes up residency in a believer. I know that Jesus is not a liar and if He said we could do more, then we can do more.  The secret lies in developing that spiritual vision and a dependency upon the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.