Aloha Dearest Family,
Today we will study a remarkable record of a mighty prophet, a mighty vision and one more example of God’s mighty compassion.
In II Kings 6 we read that the kingdom of Syria is at war with Israel. But the King of Israel has a “secret weapon” - Elisha the prophet of God. It seems that whenever the King of Syria came up with a battle strategy to come against Israel, God would tell Elisha, who would in turn tell the King of Israel what Syria was about to do. In this way the king of Israel would be able to counter the moves of the king of Syria. This happened time and time again and the king of Syria was getting more and more frustrated. Surely, he must have a spy in his midst that was relaying his battle plans to the enemy.
“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?” (II Kings 6:11)
But one of his servants told the king the real reason why his plans were continually being thwarted.
“And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that thou speak in thy bedchamber.” (Verse 12)
This prophet seems to know the deepest secrets of the king, even what he speaks about in his bedroom. This prophet must be stopped. So, when they found that Elisha was staying in the town of Dothan, the king sent a band of soldiers to capture him.
The following morning, Elisha’s servant wakes up and finds that the city is surrounded by soldiers. His master must be warned! But God had already shown Elisha how the Lord was protecting them.
“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? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 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.” (Verses 15-17)
The servant’s jaw must have hit the ground when he saw this magnificent sight. It is wonderful to see how God protects His faithful men and women when they love and obey Him.
God then tells Elisha what He plans on doing with the Syrian soldiers. This is a lesson that they would never forget.
“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. 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.” (Verses 18 and 19)
We are not certain how big the city of Dothan was, but we can assume that there are at least a couple hundred soldiers surrounding the city. But all at once, they had all become blind. Can you imagine the fear and the confusion among the soldiers? Then imagine Elisha leading these blind men to Samaria with their chariots and horses; a trip of about 10 to 12 miles. You can add the word spectacular to the list of God’s attributes.
“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.” (Verse 20)
If you were wondering about these soldiers’ state of mind when they were blind, what do you think they thought when they could see again and they were in the midst of their enemy’s capitol city, Samaria? I’m sure they thought they would surely be killed. But what happens next is not what anyone expected.
“And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them? 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. 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 (raiding parties) of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.“ (Verses 21-23)
The raiding bands of Syria never bothered Israel after this. The kindness showed to these soldiers from Israel, their enemy, changed the hearts and minds of the enemy. This is a tale that these soldiers would tell their grandkids for years afterwards, I’m sure.
In our world today, division among people seems to permeate every category of life. If you listen to the news media (which you should NEVER do), they will tell you that hatred is everywhere and if someone does not agree with your opinion, they are your enemy. But this is man’s way, not God’s way. God’s way is love and man’s way is to manufacture strife. Maybe it’s time to start taking Elisha’s example to heart and start treating others with kindness and compassion. Even people who disagree with us and hate us. God’s Word tells us the attitude we should have towards others.
“Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:17-21)
“Heaping burning coals on his head” doesn’t mean we want to “burn” our enemies. This refers to an oriental custom that was understood at the time the Bible was written. What this verse is saying is that when we give food and drink to our enemies, we will warm them with compassion. We can clearly see this from the record of Elisha and the soldiers.
As God’s children we should endeavor to imitate our Father. Our Father’s ways are above our ways and are not like the ways of people in the world. God does not treat others by what they deserve, but by His unconditional love for them. We should treat others this way same.
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven…” (Matthew 5:43-45a)
Love Always, Ray
