Elisha’s protecting army

Boy, that Elisha, what a piece of work! He makes iron float, knows the secret plans of Israel’s enemy and chariots of fire protect him. God gives him knowledge of the enemy’s plan to raid Israel and he warns them so that the attack is averted. There is no bloodshed. He is a man of peace. (2 Kings 6)

When the enemy King learns that it is Elisha who is ruining his plans to destroy Israel, he sends an army to seize the prophet. Ah, but Elisha is not afraid of their number because he has eyes to see God’s army protecting him and the other prophets.

By miracles Elisha leads the ‘blinded’ enemy army to Israel’s headquarters. When the King of Israel wants to kill them, Elisha says, “No. Give them a great feast.” So they treat the captured army like royalty. At the party’s conclusion, the enemy army returns to Aram, their king and never attacks Israel again.

Elisha sounds like Jesus. “Turn the other cheek, bless those who curse you, pray for your enemies.” Such a strategy makes no sense in our world; but God’s ways are so different than mankind’s. Acting this way would put us at such risk. Reason cautions, “don’t do that, can’t do that, you are too precious and important.”

Today, let’s practice this, let’s participate in God’s crazy strategy for living. Let’s pray for our competition, bless the one who cuts us off in traffic, sacrifice our interest to serve our neighbor, our co-worker, our spouse or children.  I trust such behavior, practiced by a large community, would convert war to peace. God would not have modeled it, if it were not the case.