BY BRUCE GREEN
OPINION —
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” Most of us are familiar with this verse from Psalm 23. It’s part of the description of what God does for us as our Shepherd. It speaks of how He brings abundance into our lives, even to the point of preparing a feast for us in the presence of our enemies! You have to have some kind of power to do that.
And He does.
But God is so much more. He possesses a shepherd’s heart toward His people. And if we’ve learned anything in our lives, it is that we have many sheep-like qualities and need not just a shepherd, but The Shepherd of all shepherds. For our Father’s part, this is the covenant relationship He enjoys with His people and wants to have with all humanity.
Most of us are familiar with the first part of 2 Kings 6. Aram was at war with Israel. But Elisha kept thwarting the raiding parties of Aram by informing Israel of their troop movements. The king of Aram learned that Elisha was responsible for their unsuccessful raids and had their troops surround Dothan, where Elisha and his servant were staying.
The servant went out and saw the troops and was petrified! Elisha told him, “Don’t be afraid, those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (v. 16). Then he prayed that God would open the eyes on his servant. God answered His prayer and, in addition to seeing the army of Aram, he was also able to see the army of God, as well, and was no longer afraid. That’s the part of the story we know and love.
What we don’t know, as well, is what happened after this.
The army of Aram advanced into the city, and Elisha asked that God would blind them, and He did. Then Elisha took them to Samaria (the capital of Israel at that time). He prayed for their sight to be restored, and it was. They looked around and saw they were inside their enemy’s city!
The king of Israel asked Elisha if they should kill them. Elisha rebuked him and instead of taking their lives, he prepared a feast for them. And there we have it — through His prophet, God prepared a feast for them in the presence of their enemies. Would God do that for people who didn’t believe in Him and threatened His people? There’s no debate about the matter because He did! And He did it because this is the relationship He desires with everyone.
But the story doesn’t end there. After the captured army had eaten, Elisha sent them home! But that’s not the end of the story either, because this so affected the king of Aram that “the bands of Aram stopped raiding Israel’s territory” (1 Kings 6:23).
This is what happens when we commit ourselves to overcoming evil through good (Romans 12:21). We leave room for God to do amazing things — and He does them! Sometimes He has other plans, but either way, we do what He tells us to do and leave the rest to Him.
I think there is a lot for us to think about in this story.
Find more of Bruce’s writings at his website: a-taste-of-grace-with-bruce-green.
