"Now when the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, my father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them? But he answered, you shall not kill them..." 2Kings 6:21-22
There are people in all walks of life who think that violence is the answer to every conflict. They see a creature that frightens them and their first reaction is to kill it. They meet people who are different than themselves and their first thought is to hurt or even kill them. The king of Israel, once Elisha had led the army of his enemy into the city, wanted to kill them all.
What stood out to me today in this story is found at the end of the story. Once the raiders had been fed, they were sent back home. And we read this verse.
"So the bands of the Syrian raiders came no more into the land of Israel." 2Kin.6:23
There is a time when violence may be necessary. Judgement must begin at the house of God. But, if we are to live out the Christian life, maybe we need to dial back our hostility toward those we do not understand.
"You have heard that was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your father in heaven; for He makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and He sends rain on the just and on the unjust." Matthew 5:43-45
It seems that Elisha practiced what Jesus preached long before Jesus preached it.
No comments:
Post a Comment