God drives away fear and despair by intervening through unexpected means.
When we read that “For the Lord had caused the army of the Arameans to hear a sound of chariots and a sound of horses, even the sound of a great army, so that they said to one another, ‘Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.’” (v.6), we see a dramatic revelation of God’s sovereignty over the affairs of men. The setting occurs near the ancient city of Samaria, during the mid-ninth century BC, when the Arameans besieged Israel. The Arameans (hailing from the region of modern-day Syria) were stunned by the sound of an imaginary force so intimidating that they immediately assumed the Israelite king had recruited vast numbers from neighboring powers. Historians identify the Hittites as an influential people who once dwelled in the area of Anatolia (modern-day Turkey), whose empire flourished around 1600-1200 BC. The Egyptians, of course, were a dominant force in Northeast Africa, and their presence had long been felt in the region. The Israelites’ king at this time was likely King Jehoram (851-835 BC), son of Ahab and Jezebel, who ruled the northern kingdom of Israel in Samaria.
This verse underscores the theme that the Lord can accomplish His purposes through extraordinary means, even by causing an enemy to flee at the sound of nonexistent armies. Throughout the Scriptures, God demonstrates the ability to work on behalf of His people in ways they never anticipate, such as in Exodus, when He delivered them from Pharaoh’s might, or even in the New Testament, where Jesus speaks of the Father’s power to protect and provide in Matthew 6:25-33. God’s creative intervention here leads the Arameans to a hasty retreat, leaving behind the spoils that relieve the siege on Samaria—an act that displays the Lord’s provision for those who trust Him.
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2 Kings 7:6 meaning
When we read that “For the Lord had caused the army of the Arameans to hear a sound of chariots and a sound of horses, even the sound of a great army, so that they said to one another, ‘Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.’” (v.6), we see a dramatic revelation of God’s sovereignty over the affairs of men. The setting occurs near the ancient city of Samaria, during the mid-ninth century BC, when the Arameans besieged Israel. The Arameans (hailing from the region of modern-day Syria) were stunned by the sound of an imaginary force so intimidating that they immediately assumed the Israelite king had recruited vast numbers from neighboring powers. Historians identify the Hittites as an influential people who once dwelled in the area of Anatolia (modern-day Turkey), whose empire flourished around 1600-1200 BC. The Egyptians, of course, were a dominant force in Northeast Africa, and their presence had long been felt in the region. The Israelites’ king at this time was likely King Jehoram (851-835 BC), son of Ahab and Jezebel, who ruled the northern kingdom of Israel in Samaria.
This verse underscores the theme that the Lord can accomplish His purposes through extraordinary means, even by causing an enemy to flee at the sound of nonexistent armies. Throughout the Scriptures, God demonstrates the ability to work on behalf of His people in ways they never anticipate, such as in Exodus, when He delivered them from Pharaoh’s might, or even in the New Testament, where Jesus speaks of the Father’s power to protect and provide in Matthew 6:25-33. God’s creative intervention here leads the Arameans to a hasty retreat, leaving behind the spoils that relieve the siege on Samaria—an act that displays the Lord’s provision for those who trust Him.