05 May '05 20:04>
Originally posted by ColettiThey were not in a city at the time - nor does it say they asked him to take them to a city. He just told them he knew where they should go.
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Easily refuted. 2 Kings 6:13-14 says:
"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. 14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about."
To paraphrase: They got a tip that Elisha was in Dothan, and they surrounded the city to trap him. It is irrelevant whether they were around the city or in the city. Elisha lied to them when he said Dothan wasn't the right city.
Do you think they were literally blind.
Again, this is completely irrelevant. It does not matter whether the blindness was literal or not. His intent was to deceive them, or else he would not have asked for god to blind them.
You've excused Elisha's behavior by saying it was 'trickery' or 'deception', which is pretty much the same thing as lying. It sounds like a bad lawyer's argument: "No, no, my client didn't lie! He just, well, deceived a few people! They were just harmless tricks, honest!"
The whole story is a small illustration of God's power and grace. You are missing some good stuff by getting all caught up on one insignificant detail that you have misread.
You're so enamored with the parts of the Bible that you do like that you have ceased reading with a critical eye.