Scripture Reference: 2 Kings 6:8-7:20
3. The God Who Shows Mercy
Please read 2 Kings 6:18-23 for the background to this section.
Elisha didn’t ask the Lord to command the angelic army to destroy Ben Hadad’s feeble troops. As with nations today, defeat only promotes retaliation, and Ben Hadad would have sent another company of soldiers. God gave Elisha a much better plan. He had just prayed that the Lord would open his servant’s eyes, but now he prayed that God would cloud the eyes of the Syrian soldiers. The soldiers weren’t made totally blind, otherwise they couldn’t have followed Elijah; but their sight was clouded in such a way that they were able to see but not comprehend. They were under the delusion that they were being led to the house of Elisha, but Elisha was leading them to the city of Samaria!
When Elisha went out to meet the Syrian troops, did he lie to them? No, because he was no longer in the city of Dothan and was actually going to Samaria. The prophet was actually saving their lives, for if King Joram had been in charge, he would have killed them. Elisha did bring the troops to the man they wanted. When the army arrived at Samaria, the guards must have been shocked to see the prophet leading the troops, but they obediently opened the gates and then God opened their eyes. Imagine their surprise when they found themselves at the heart of the capital city and at the mercy of the Israelites.
King Joram would have slain all of the Syrian soldiers and claimed a great victory for himself, but Elisha intervened. The king graciously called Elisha “my father,” a term used by servants for their master (2 Kings 5:13), but later, he wanted to take off Elisha’s head! Like his wicked father, Ahab, he could murder the innocent one day and then “walk softly” before the Lord the next day (1 Kings 21). Double-minded people are unstable (James 1:8).
Elisha’s reply took the matter entirely out of the king’s hands. Had Joram defeated this army in battle? No! If he had, he could kill his prisoners; but if he hadn’t, then whoever captured the prisoners would decide what to do. These were not prisoners of war; they were Elisha’s guests, so the king’s responsibility was to feed them. Joram knew that having a meal with them was the same as making a covenant with them (Genesis 26:26-31), but he obeyed. In fact, he went beyond the prophet’s request for bread and water and prepared a great feast for the soldiers.
Solomon wrote, “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for so you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the LORD will reward you” (Proverbs 25:21-22). In Romans 12:20-21, Paul quoted these words and applied them to believers today, and see also the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:43-48 and Luke 6:27-36. King Joram wanted to kill the Syrians, but Elisha “killed them with kindness.” By eating together, they made a covenant of peace and the Syrian bands would no longer raid the borders of Israel.
Would this approach avert conflicts today? We must remember that Israel is a covenant nation and that the Lord fought their battles. No other nation can claim these privileges. But if kindness replaced long-standing and deeply rooted ethnic and religious differences among peoples, as well as national pride and international greed, there would no doubt be fewer wars and bombings. The same principle applies to ending divorce and abuse in families, riots and lootings in neighborhoods, uproars on campuses, and division and conflict in our communities. “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7).
To Be Continued
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD 
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