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 (NKJV)
I don't know about you, but for most people, I don't think they would be willing to respond to their enemy by going out and buying him something to eat. I think as human beings, we naturally tend to justify our anger, and we might even eventually look to even the score, or retaliate if given the opportunity to do so. If nothing else, at least we could expose those people and their motives for what they really are. Right? Well, maybe not!
Were told in Romans 12:19, Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for Gods wrath, for it is written: It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord.
This can be hard at times, knowing, an enemy is someone who hates and seeks to harm or cause harm to us. It only seems right to protect yourself, or even counter attack when you can expose them for who they really are, along with their evil motives. I can think back on times where I have had people who have come against me, and there have been opportunities to exact revenge upon them. I had them in my cross hairs of my sites.
Unfortunately, I have not always done what is right before God, and I have taken the choice to attack those whom have come against me, and those I love. But I must admit; it has never satisfied me the way I thought it would. In fact, I ended up feeling dirty and convicted in my spirit. I guess this is why it has been said, revenge is a bitter pill.
I like the quote of Josh Billings, who, back in the 1800s said, There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness.
I want to share a story of just such a situation. The Book of 2Kings chapter 6 records the history of the prophet Elisha, who was being pursued, and in fact, was caught and surrounded by the army of Aram in the city of Dothan. As his servant awoke one morning and went outside, he saw that the city was totally surrounded with fighting men. But Elisha didn't panic, and instead, prayed the Lord would show his servant the truth. Immediately the servant was able to see that the surrounding mountains were full of horses, and there were chariots of fire surrounding Elisha.
But what happened next was the point of this writing.
As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, Strike these people with blindness. So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked.
Then, Elisha told these attacking men, 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 so, Elisha led them to their enemies in the city of Samaria about 10-miles away.
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.
So here is Israels enemy being led right into their hands. I could only imagine the surprise, and the happiness of Israels leader when this happened, as scripture records his words at this time.
When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, Shall I kill them, my father? Shall I kill them? 2Kings 6:21 (NKJV).
Here is where our lesson begins as God leads Elisha to do something unnatural to our fleshly tendencies.
Elisha responds to the King, Do not kill them, he answered, but instead, Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink and then go back to their master. So, at Elishas directions, rather than seeking vengeance, and killing their enemies, the King of Israel prepared a great feast for them. And after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master.
Elishas remedy proved to be Gods answer for the situation, as Israels kindness resulted in the army of Aram leaving and stopping their attacks on Israel.
We, as Christians, should apply this lesson to our daily lives when we are faced with those who are bringing attacks against us. We should allow the Holy Spirit to lead us in a loving response to those situations. We should allow God to defend us instead, especially when we have our enemies in our cross hairs, and we can take matters into our own hands. Its a lot easier to do this, when we know that God has a plan that will show His true love through our responding actions; causing others to question how we are able to do these things, and wanting to know about this great love.
STUDY QUESTION: What can we learn from this story?
PERSONAL INVENTORY: Can you see times where you have been attempted to take matters into your own hands, and exact vengeance on someone who has attacked you?
APPLICATION: Allow Gods Spirit to lead you in peace, knowing He has His Angels watching over you, and protecting you. Instead, look for a loving kind way to respond in these times, and watch what God does through you.
I don't know about you, but for most people, I don't think they would be willing to respond to their enemy by going out and buying him something to eat. I think as human beings, we naturally tend to justify our anger, and we might even eventually look to even the score, or retaliate if given the opportunity to do so. If nothing else, at least we could expose those people and their motives for what they really are. Right? Well, maybe not!
Were told in Romans 12:19, Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for Gods wrath, for it is written: It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord.
This can be hard at times, knowing, an enemy is someone who hates and seeks to harm or cause harm to us. It only seems right to protect yourself, or even counter attack when you can expose them for who they really are, along with their evil motives. I can think back on times where I have had people who have come against me, and there have been opportunities to exact revenge upon them. I had them in my cross hairs of my sites.
Unfortunately, I have not always done what is right before God, and I have taken the choice to attack those whom have come against me, and those I love. But I must admit; it has never satisfied me the way I thought it would. In fact, I ended up feeling dirty and convicted in my spirit. I guess this is why it has been said, revenge is a bitter pill.
I like the quote of Josh Billings, who, back in the 1800s said, There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness.
I want to share a story of just such a situation. The Book of 2Kings chapter 6 records the history of the prophet Elisha, who was being pursued, and in fact, was caught and surrounded by the army of Aram in the city of Dothan. As his servant awoke one morning and went outside, he saw that the city was totally surrounded with fighting men. But Elisha didn't panic, and instead, prayed the Lord would show his servant the truth. Immediately the servant was able to see that the surrounding mountains were full of horses, and there were chariots of fire surrounding Elisha.
But what happened next was the point of this writing.
As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, Strike these people with blindness. So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked.
Then, Elisha told these attacking men, 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 so, Elisha led them to their enemies in the city of Samaria about 10-miles away.
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.
So here is Israels enemy being led right into their hands. I could only imagine the surprise, and the happiness of Israels leader when this happened, as scripture records his words at this time.
When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, Shall I kill them, my father? Shall I kill them? 2Kings 6:21 (NKJV).
Here is where our lesson begins as God leads Elisha to do something unnatural to our fleshly tendencies.
Elisha responds to the King, Do not kill them, he answered, but instead, Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink and then go back to their master. So, at Elishas directions, rather than seeking vengeance, and killing their enemies, the King of Israel prepared a great feast for them. And after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master.
Elishas remedy proved to be Gods answer for the situation, as Israels kindness resulted in the army of Aram leaving and stopping their attacks on Israel.
We, as Christians, should apply this lesson to our daily lives when we are faced with those who are bringing attacks against us. We should allow the Holy Spirit to lead us in a loving response to those situations. We should allow God to defend us instead, especially when we have our enemies in our cross hairs, and we can take matters into our own hands. Its a lot easier to do this, when we know that God has a plan that will show His true love through our responding actions; causing others to question how we are able to do these things, and wanting to know about this great love.
STUDY QUESTION: What can we learn from this story?
PERSONAL INVENTORY: Can you see times where you have been attempted to take matters into your own hands, and exact vengeance on someone who has attacked you?
APPLICATION: Allow Gods Spirit to lead you in peace, knowing He has His Angels watching over you, and protecting you. Instead, look for a loving kind way to respond in these times, and watch what God does through you.
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