2 Kings 6

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2 Kings 6:18-20,  As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike this army with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked.

Elisha told them, “This is not the road and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you are looking for.” And he led them to Samaria.

After they entered the city, Elisha said, “Lord, open the eyes of these men so they can see.” Then the Lord opened their eyes and they looked, and there they were, inside Samaria.

In this chapter, we see God continue to do miracles through the prophet Elisha.  It appears that Elisha has developed a much more amicable relationship with the king of Israel.  When Aram went to war with Israel, Elisha used his prophetic skills to warn the king of Israel when harm was eminent so he could be on guard.  Not surprisingly, this frustrated the king of Aram who suspected he had a spy in his ranks.  But one of his officers knew that it was in fact Elisha who was providing the king of Israel with the information he needed to protect himself.  Thus, the army of Aram is sent to capture Elisha.

This brings us to our focus verses for today.  The army of Aram has surrounded the town of Dothan, where Elisha was living in order to capture him.  Elisha prays to the Lord, asking for the army to be struck with blindness and God does it.  This allows Elisha to lead the army out of Dothan and into Samaria.  Once in Samaria, the soldiers’ sight returns.  The king of Israel asks Elisha if the men should be killed.  But Elisha wants to show them mercy, so the king feeds them and sends them back home.

Some reflections from today’s text:

-When in doubt, show mercy.  God is a merciful God. We are called to be merciful people.

-Err on the side of grace.  We’ve been shown immense grace; let’s be sure to demonstrate it to others.

-Believe that God is on your side.  Your God loves you and wants the best for you.  Trust in that.

Let’s pray…Jesus, Help us be merciful in all we do as you were merciful with us.  In Your Name, Amen.